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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://medium.com/platform-stream/deezer-fnatic-sign-partnership-spotify-launches-new-playlist-pitching-system-for-labels-5590466eaee8
|
medium.com
|
Deezer, Fnatic Sign Partnership; Spotify Launches New Playlist-Pitching System for Labels
| null |
Platform & Stream
|
https://medium.com/@platformstream
|
5590466eaee8
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*ZUtlcdYcpSR0TAF0.
|
3 min
|
2017-10-18T11:36:38.050000
|
2017-10-18T11:37:21.518000
|
2017-12-18T18:37:01.992000
| 0 | 38 |
en
|
Music,Deezer,Spotify,Streaming Music,Blockchain
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*ZUtlcdYcpSR0TAF0." width="740" height="555" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://www.esportsinsider.com/2017/10/fnatic-and-de</strong>ezer-singing-hymn-sheet/?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Deezer, Fnatic Sign New Partnership</a> — <a href="http://www.esportsinsider.com/2017/10/fnatic-and-deezer-singing-hymn-sheet/">www.esportsinsider.com</a></p>
<p>esports organisation Fnatic has signed a new partnership with music streaming service Deezer. Fnatic’s first-ever music partnership will give fans the chance to connect with their favourite players and see the music they’re listening to.</p>
<p>Fnatic’s team members will have the chance to connect with fans in real time, sharing all of their personal playlists across Europe.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*LOGdTN0T34rKN4h9." width="740" height="416" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://musically.com/2017/10/17/spotify-playlist-pitching-syste</strong>m/?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Spotify launches new playlist-pitching system for labels</a> — <a href="http://musically.com/2017/10/17/spotify-playlist-pitching-system/">musically.com</a>
Spotify has moved to formalise the process by which major and independent labels pitch for slots in the Browse section of its service.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*uTkWg7SWeqhQzjnT." width="740" height="494" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="https://www.itproportal.com/features/blockc</strong>hain-meets-the-challenge/?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Blockchain meets the challenge</a> — <a href="https://www.itproportal.com/features/blockchain-meets-the-challenge/">www.itproportal.com</a>
The music industry is both excited and cautious about emerging technologies, and blockchain is no exception.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*Sfr1diKdpUlcYsqF." width="740" height="740" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-17/cd-sales-collection-music/9039860?utm_campaign=R</strong>evue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Vinyl is back and streaming is surging, so what to do with that CD collection?</a> — <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-17/cd-sales-collection-music/9039860">www.abc.net.au</a>
CD players are becoming rarer in homes and cars, as the take-up of streaming continues to surge. But like we did with the recent vinyl revival, will we come to regret getting rid of our CDs — and everything they say about us?</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*OApXj_L4ZGf2vXaO." width="740" height="740" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://www.complex.com/music/2017/10/daniel-caesar-ge</strong>t-you-gold-apple-music-carl-chery-interview?curator=MusicREDEF&utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">How Apple Music Helped Daniel Caesar Go Gold</a> — <a href="http://www.complex.com/music/2017/10/daniel-caesar-get-you-gold-apple-music-carl-chery-interview?curator=MusicREDEF">www.complex.com</a>
“Get You” is a milestone for the unsigned R&B artist, and owes some of its success to Apple’s curation efforts that pushed it to the top of the playlists.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*af0Xm35ZEkYDNDDz." width="740" height="415" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fox-iheartmedia-four-music-competiti</strong>on-1202591964/?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Fox Enlists iHeartMedia to Boost Musical Competition ‘The Four’</a> — <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fox-iheartmedia-four-music-competition-1202591964/">variety.com</a>
Fox is teaming up with large radio broadcaster iHeartMedia to generate notice for its new music-competition series “The Four”</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*fvgM0GEZ7kcRIXDl." width="740" height="495" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="https://www.psfk.com/2017/10/spotify-now-lets-musicians-get-r</strong>eal-time-data-from-fans.html?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Spotify Now Lets Musicians Get Real-Time Data From Fans</a> — <a href="https://www.psfk.com/2017/10/spotify-now-lets-musicians-get-real-time-data-from-fans.html">www.psfk.com</a>
Spotify for Artists leverages real-time data with demographic information to help musicians understand their audience.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*43LVpr5g4Fc_za1q." width="740" height="434" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-principles-of-gre</strong>at-music-web-design.html?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">10 Principles Of Great Music Web Design</a> — <a href="http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-principles-of-great-music-web-design.html">www.musicthinktank.com</a></p>
<p>It’s no secret that in order to appear professional, your own website with your own .com address is essential. So what ingredients make for a great musician website exactly? You’ve got the music of course, some images, videos, and show dates</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*-iOrBAv_7Els2wFS." width="740" height="296" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/music-4-5-and-cmu-trends-put-the-spotlight-b</strong>ack-on-data-challenges/?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">Music 4.5 and CMU Trends put the spotlight back on data challenges</a> — <a href="http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/music-4-5-and-cmu-trends-put-the-spotlight-back-on-data-challenges/">www.completemusicupdate.com</a></p>
<p>The lack of a decent publicly accessible music rights database that tells streaming services what songs are contained in what recordings, and who wrote and published those songs.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/740/0*0a_w-LScV_0PoG0e." width="740" height="403" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href="http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2017/10/vnue-aq</strong>uires-setfm-from-pledgemusic-.html?utm_campaign=Revue%20newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Platform%20%26%20Stream">VNUE Acquires Set.fm From PledgeMusic</a> — <a href="http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2017/10/vnue-aquires-setfm-from-pledgemusic-.html">www.hypebot.com</a>
Just one year after PledgeMusic finalized its acquisition of Set.fm, it has now sold it to live event recording and release platform VNUE for an undisclosed sum.</p>
<p></p>
</section>
|
Deezer, Fnatic Sign Partnership; Spotify Launches New Playlist-Pitching System for Labels
Deezer, Fnatic Sign New Partnership — www.esportsinsider.com
esports organisation Fnatic has signed a new partnership with music streaming service Deezer. Fnatic’s first-ever music partnership will give fans the chance to connect with their favourite players and see the music they’re listening to.
Fnatic’s team members will have the chance to connect with fans in real time, sharing all of their personal playlists across Europe.
Spotify launches new playlist-pitching system for labels — musically.com
Spotify has moved to formalise the process by which major and independent labels pitch for slots in the Browse section of its service.
Blockchain meets the challenge — www.itproportal.com
The music industry is both excited and cautious about emerging technologies, and blockchain is no exception.
Vinyl is back and streaming is surging, so what to do with that CD collection? — www.abc.net.au
CD players are becoming rarer in homes and cars, as the take-up of streaming continues to surge. But like we did with the recent vinyl revival, will we come to regret getting rid of our CDs — and everything they say about us?
How Apple Music Helped Daniel Caesar Go Gold — www.complex.com
“Get You” is a milestone for the unsigned R&B artist, and owes some of its success to Apple’s curation efforts that pushed it to the top of the playlists.
Fox Enlists iHeartMedia to Boost Musical Competition ‘The Four’ — variety.com
Fox is teaming up with large radio broadcaster iHeartMedia to generate notice for its new music-competition series “The Four”
Spotify Now Lets Musicians Get Real-Time Data From Fans — www.psfk.com
Spotify for Artists leverages real-time data with demographic information to help musicians understand their audience.
10 Principles Of Great Music Web Design — www.musicthinktank.com
It’s no secret that in order to appear professional, your own website with your own .com address is essential. So what ingredients make for a great musician website exactly? You’ve got the music of course, some images, videos, and show dates
Music 4.5 and CMU Trends put the spotlight back on data challenges — www.completemusicupdate.com
The lack of a decent publicly accessible music rights database that tells streaming services what songs are contained in what recordings, and who wrote and published those songs.
VNUE Acquires Set.fm From PledgeMusic — www.hypebot.com
Just one year after PledgeMusic finalized its acquisition of Set.fm, it has now sold it to live event recording and release platform VNUE for an undisclosed sum.
|
44a18445-2515-5633-8eb6-cf751d4675fb
|
25/08/2025 16:02:42
|
https://medium.com/@nclnva/at-the-intersection-c11e1492b6bb
|
medium.com
|
At the Intersection
| null |
Nicole Nava
|
https://medium.com/@nclnva
|
c11e1492b6bb
| null |
2 min
|
2016-11-02T18:06:50.377000
|
2016-11-03T10:22:44.986000
|
2017-04-15T02:59:00.091000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Feminism,BlackLivesMatter
|
<section>
<p>In a scene from the novel<em>, </em>Ifemelu — then jobless and desperate to pay her rent — agrees to meet with a tennis coach so that she can “help [him] relax” (Adichie 177) in exchange for payment. Although Ifemelu agrees to this meeting, it is evident that she does not entirely consent to the events that unfold. She demonstrates hesitancy early on once she sees the tennis coach in bed and thinks she “should leave now. The power balance was tilted in his favor since she walked into his house” (Adichie 189). But Ifemelu stays. This decision to stay embodies the multiple subordinations that Ifemelu endures as a woman of color. The incident of sexual assault is representative of the sexual victimization that women encounter, but beyond gender, social boundaries and race also play a significant role in Ifemelu’s victimization.</p>
<p>Ifemelu’s identity as a migrant woman of color places her at the mercy of multiple subordinations. For example, she must even use another person’s Social Security Card while searching for employment. As a migrant, she must adopt a false identity in order to find employment, and even then she can not find a job. Thus, vulnerability emerges and the barriers which arise from a migrant life in America force Ifemelu to resort to a job that leaves her disempowered at the hands of the more privileged white man. Her experience thus combines the constraints of a social barrier with the discrimination that she already experiences as a woman of color. In fact, the silence that ensues during this depression may be a result of the structural intersectionality she faces. Social boundaries place her in a position where she may fear reporting the incident because of an underlying fear of deportation.</p>
<p>Now, political intersectionality highlights the fact that women of color find themselves outside the narratives of the conflicting race and gendered experiences that black men and white women have come to epitomize. Historically, the rape scenario has depicted black men as the offenders and white women as the victims (Crenshaw 1266). However, where do the women of color fit into this narrative? Focus is placed on the white women as a victim, but what is there to say about the forgotten victims, the victims of color? Professor Smith suggests that certain female bodies are held in higher regards to others (Crenshaw 1269). So, are white female bodies truly held to a higher regard than those of women of color? Perhaps one may need only observe which rape cases receive the media’s attention in order to receive an answer. According to LaFree, a social stratification theory proposes that there are certain rules which govern who may have sexual contact with whom (Crenshaw 1276). Taking this into consideration, were the police to know that Ifemelu had been raped, would this rape be treated as seriously as that of a black male raping a white female?</p>
<p>In effect, colored women — situated at the intersection between racial and gender discrimination — endure the distinct task of confronting the challenges that come with both of their “multiple identities.” One must not see women of color as sole members of one group; let us recognize and draw attention to the multiple facets of identity.</p>
</section>
|
“Intersectionality” sounds like one of those clunky words you hear (and immediately dismiss) in discussions about race — until you figure out you need it. Once I came across Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah, I saw its relevance.
In a scene from the novel, Ifemelu — then jobless and desperate to pay her rent — agrees to meet with a tennis coach so that she can “help [him] relax” (Adichie 177) in exchange for payment. Although Ifemelu agrees to this meeting, it is evident that she does not entirely consent to the events that unfold. She demonstrates hesitancy early on once she sees the tennis coach in bed and thinks she “should leave now. The power balance was tilted in his favor since she walked into his house” (Adichie 189). But Ifemelu stays. This decision to stay embodies the multiple subordinations that Ifemelu endures as a woman of color. The incident of sexual assault is representative of the sexual victimization that women encounter, but beyond gender, social boundaries and race also play a significant role in Ifemelu’s victimization.
Ifemelu’s identity as a migrant woman of color places her at the mercy of multiple subordinations. For example, she must even use another person’s Social Security Card while searching for employment. As a migrant, she must adopt a false identity in order to find employment, and even then she can not find a job. Thus, vulnerability emerges and the barriers which arise from a migrant life in America force Ifemelu to resort to a job that leaves her disempowered at the hands of the more privileged white man. Her experience thus combines the constraints of a social barrier with the discrimination that she already experiences as a woman of color. In fact, the silence that ensues during this depression may be a result of the structural intersectionality she faces. Social boundaries place her in a position where she may fear reporting the incident because of an underlying fear of deportation.
Now, political intersectionality highlights the fact that women of color find themselves outside the narratives of the conflicting race and gendered experiences that black men and white women have come to epitomize. Historically, the rape scenario has depicted black men as the offenders and white women as the victims (Crenshaw 1266). However, where do the women of color fit into this narrative? Focus is placed on the white women as a victim, but what is there to say about the forgotten victims, the victims of color? Professor Smith suggests that certain female bodies are held in higher regards to others (Crenshaw 1269). So, are white female bodies truly held to a higher regard than those of women of color? Perhaps one may need only observe which rape cases receive the media’s attention in order to receive an answer. According to LaFree, a social stratification theory proposes that there are certain rules which govern who may have sexual contact with whom (Crenshaw 1276). Taking this into consideration, were the police to know that Ifemelu had been raped, would this rape be treated as seriously as that of a black male raping a white female?
In effect, colored women — situated at the intersection between racial and gender discrimination — endure the distinct task of confronting the challenges that come with both of their “multiple identities.” One must not see women of color as sole members of one group; let us recognize and draw attention to the multiple facets of identity.
|
832b5e09-0e8a-5923-bfb8-eb55d09c0e8c
|
25/08/2025 16:02:42
|
https://medium.com/@inthe9thhouse/voices-of-buffalo-ny-2016-documentary-trailer-shot-by-me-396ddf5ddc6
|
medium.com
|
Voices of Buffalo, NY (2016 Documentary) — Trailer Shot By Me.
|
Trailer from a project I’m working on.
|
Fee Scott-Bolden
|
https://medium.com/@inthe9thhouse
|
396ddf5ddc6
| null |
0 min
|
2016-07-09T06:06:03.146000
|
2016-07-09T06:09:48.600000
|
2018-03-22T22:03:57.279000
| 0 | 5 |
en
|
Film,Buffalo,BlackLivesMatter
|
<section>
<p></p>
<p>Trailer from a project I’m working on.</p>
<p>— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —</p>
<p>Voices of Buffalo, NY (2016 Documentary) — Trailer</p>
<p>Filmed, edited and directed by Feathers Scott coming soon. For more info email [email protected]</p>
</section>
|
Voices of Buffalo, NY (2016 Documentary) — Trailer Shot By Me.
Trailer from a project I’m working on.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Voices of Buffalo, NY (2016 Documentary) — Trailer
Filmed, edited and directed by Feathers Scott coming soon. For more info email [email protected]
|
e120883d-fe6a-5750-bd30-8d4c0263587e
|
25/08/2025 16:02:43
|
https://the-pencil-one.medium.com/better-than-badly-married-d9778dd868be
|
medium.com
|
Better Than Badly Married
|
To never be married is better than badly married. This seems to be a hard concept for Christians especially to accept. Yet I say it again…
|
Sharon Wagner
|
https://medium.com/@the-pencil-one
|
d9778dd868be
| null |
3 min
|
2020-04-11T21:14:07.998000
|
2020-04-11T21:15:08.457000
|
2021-12-14T04:51:33.827000
| 0 | 60 |
en
|
Singleness,Christian Singles,Christian Living,Christian Women
|
<section>
<p>To never be married is better than badly married. This seems to be a hard concept for Christians especially to accept. Yet I say it again: To never be married is better than to be badly married.</p>
<p>Certainly, marriage is a good and desirable thing. But that makes the assumption that your spouse is a desirable companion. Yes, God did make Eve so that Adam would not be alone, and yes, He did say that ‘he who finds a wife finds a good thing’. But the purpose of marriage, like the purpose of all things in this life, is to glorify God. God created marriage to represent the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. While no marriage is going to do this perfectly, can you honestly walk open-eyed to a marriage that does not serve this purpose and still claim that it is ‘better than singleness’?</p>
<p>Certainly, singleness is a lonely state. But so is a marriage in which you are not of one mind. Even in a good marriage, marriage alone will not remove loneliness. Much less a marriage that is not a good one.</p>
<p>Can you respect him? Can you both honestly claim that your purpose in life, and especially in your marriage, is to serve God?</p>
<p>Think about it: you’re 27, single, lonely, and this man rolls in and proposes within months of meeting you. It’s a way out, he’s highly interested — you even find him attractive. But what if you could know that marrying him will drag you into a manipulative relationship that will put you in an early grave? Is it not possible that being single is preferable?</p>
<p>I know of so many similar examples, and it pains me to think that there are lonely young women out there who have made it their sole ambition to find a husband. If he’s a man who calls himself a Christian, he’s good to go.</p>
<p>But really, is he? What if he’s lazy, and intends to live off your income? Is that a man you want to marry?</p>
<p>What if he calls himself Christian cause he went to a revival meeting once, but now he’s more interested in seances and studying New Age self-help?</p>
<p>What if he goes to Church on Sundays, and spends the rest of his time playing video games, working just enough to pay for new ones? If movies and his own amusement are the big goals of his life, how can you hope that he is going to have any kind of real purpose and passion in his life moving forwards?</p>
<p>What if he has no interest in kids? What if he’s into pornography? What if he’s a slob on the lookout for a housekeeper? What if he hasn’t the first clue about Christian doctrine, or how to seek God in everything that he does?</p>
<p>Is having a husband really the highest goal we Christian women can be seeking to attain?</p>
<p>As Christians, we are called to seek God above all, and serve Him with all that we are. But too often as women we are inclined (and even encouraged by the people around us) to seek out marriage above all else. Where does God call us to do that? Show me the verse in which He defines the life purpose of all women as being to seek out a mate and define her life based on her relationship status.</p>
<p>Making it your one goal in life to find a man and please him is still a form of serving men — no matter what you consider the motivation for so doing. It is idolatry to make men the goal and purpose of our lives, just as surely in this as in any other way. Why do we excuse it? Because marriage is a good thing that God has created? But so are food and drink. Should we idolize them? How about work, relaxation, and so many of the other things that we have, that we would never excuse idolizing on that basis?</p>
<p>God has bigger plans for His people than just living to marry.</p>
</section>
|
Better Than Badly Married
To never be married is better than badly married. This seems to be a hard concept for Christians especially to accept. Yet I say it again: To never be married is better than to be badly married.
Certainly, marriage is a good and desirable thing. But that makes the assumption that your spouse is a desirable companion. Yes, God did make Eve so that Adam would not be alone, and yes, He did say that ‘he who finds a wife finds a good thing’. But the purpose of marriage, like the purpose of all things in this life, is to glorify God. God created marriage to represent the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. While no marriage is going to do this perfectly, can you honestly walk open-eyed to a marriage that does not serve this purpose and still claim that it is ‘better than singleness’?
Certainly, singleness is a lonely state. But so is a marriage in which you are not of one mind. Even in a good marriage, marriage alone will not remove loneliness. Much less a marriage that is not a good one.
Can you respect him? Can you both honestly claim that your purpose in life, and especially in your marriage, is to serve God?
Think about it: you’re 27, single, lonely, and this man rolls in and proposes within months of meeting you. It’s a way out, he’s highly interested — you even find him attractive. But what if you could know that marrying him will drag you into a manipulative relationship that will put you in an early grave? Is it not possible that being single is preferable?
I know of so many similar examples, and it pains me to think that there are lonely young women out there who have made it their sole ambition to find a husband. If he’s a man who calls himself a Christian, he’s good to go.
But really, is he? What if he’s lazy, and intends to live off your income? Is that a man you want to marry?
What if he calls himself Christian cause he went to a revival meeting once, but now he’s more interested in seances and studying New Age self-help?
What if he goes to Church on Sundays, and spends the rest of his time playing video games, working just enough to pay for new ones? If movies and his own amusement are the big goals of his life, how can you hope that he is going to have any kind of real purpose and passion in his life moving forwards?
What if he has no interest in kids? What if he’s into pornography? What if he’s a slob on the lookout for a housekeeper? What if he hasn’t the first clue about Christian doctrine, or how to seek God in everything that he does?
Is having a husband really the highest goal we Christian women can be seeking to attain?
As Christians, we are called to seek God above all, and serve Him with all that we are. But too often as women we are inclined (and even encouraged by the people around us) to seek out marriage above all else. Where does God call us to do that? Show me the verse in which He defines the life purpose of all women as being to seek out a mate and define her life based on her relationship status.
Making it your one goal in life to find a man and please him is still a form of serving men — no matter what you consider the motivation for so doing. It is idolatry to make men the goal and purpose of our lives, just as surely in this as in any other way. Why do we excuse it? Because marriage is a good thing that God has created? But so are food and drink. Should we idolize them? How about work, relaxation, and so many of the other things that we have, that we would never excuse idolizing on that basis?
God has bigger plans for His people than just living to marry.
|
6751b33c-ba00-533a-bba2-0b5db25deb82
|
25/08/2025 16:02:43
|
https://medium.com/@fightoftheages/how-to-join-fota-ido-on-multi-platform-fe4826a1c412
|
medium.com
|
How To Join FOTA IDO On Multi-Platform!
|
🔥🔥 How to join FOTA IDO on Multi-Platform!
|
FOTA - Fight of the Ages
|
https://medium.com/@fightoftheages
|
fe4826a1c412
|
0 min
|
2022-06-14T11:12:27.160000
|
2022-06-14T11:13:29.465000
|
2022-06-14T11:14:25.231000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Fota,Metaverse,Microsoftmesh
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*yxn9nT-CaoiUDQmE.png" width="1200" height="672" loading="lazy" />
<p>🔥🔥 How to join FOTA IDO on Multi-Platform!</p>
<p>Greetings FOTA’s great community!</p>
<p>To join our IDO event on The Rising Platforms: Oxbull — Equinox — MoonStarter, please follow the instructions below!</p>
<p>🔹Oxbull: h<a href="https://oxbull.medium.com/oxb-the-next-age-of-metaverse-immersion-with-fight-of-the-ages-fota-9ff8d92aaf4a">ttps://oxbull.medium.com/oxb-the-next-age-of-metaverse-immersion-with-fight-of-the-ages-fota-9ff8d92aaf4a
</a>🔹Equinox: ht<a href="https://nox-ecosystem.medium.com/equinox-ido-participation-process-d45ecdc575d3">tps://nox-ecosystem.medium.com/equinox-ido-participation-process-d45ecdc575d3
🔹</a>MoonStarter: htt<a href="https://moonstarter.medium.com/announcing-fotas-sale-on-moonstarter-d8fe937a1873">ps://moonstarter.medium.com/announcing-fotas-sale-on-moonstarter-d8fe937a1873</a></p>
</section>
|
How To Join FOTA IDO On Multi-Platform!
🔥🔥 How to join FOTA IDO on Multi-Platform!
Greetings FOTA’s great community!
To join our IDO event on The Rising Platforms: Oxbull — Equinox — MoonStarter, please follow the instructions below!
🔹Oxbull: https://oxbull.medium.com/oxb-the-next-age-of-metaverse-immersion-with-fight-of-the-ages-fota-9ff8d92aaf4a
🔹Equinox: https://nox-ecosystem.medium.com/equinox-ido-participation-process-d45ecdc575d3
🔹MoonStarter: https://moonstarter.medium.com/announcing-fotas-sale-on-moonstarter-d8fe937a1873
|
e7f91f25-8714-5839-9d38-b2b96604866b
|
25/08/2025 16:02:43
|
|
https://medium.com/@DPS1017/dapp-play-store-enters-a-strategic-partnership-with-mintbase-31ffc8ebbe9
|
medium.com
|
Dapp Play Store enters a strategic partnership with MintBase.
|
In the world of the digital era, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) are getting their use cases and are opening room for different opportunities…
|
Dapp Play Store
|
https://medium.com/@DPS1017
|
31ffc8ebbe9
|
5 min
|
2022-09-20T11:16:23.775000
|
2022-09-20T11:51:59.417000
|
2022-09-20T11:52:08.006000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Nft,Platform,Marketplaces,Decentralization,Dapps
|
<section>
<p><strong>Dapp Play Store enters a strategic partnership with MintBase.</strong></p>
<p>In the world of the digital era, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) are getting their use cases and are opening room for different opportunities. NFT refers to digital assets built on blockchain technology which is exactly one of its types. They are always in the form of some type of artwork (graphic, audio, or video), or even as an in-game asset for certain virtual worlds. Having gained a lot of investors and art lovers’ interest, the craze is arguably at its peak. Understandably, one of the greatest barriers to joining the NFT space is creating and selling your digital assets. As it requires significant technical expertise until Mintbase shows up. That is why the dapp play store is presenting opportunities for NFT lovers to make the process easier and faster.</p>
<p>About the Partnership Giving room for talented developers to deploy their decentralized applications to the public, Dapp Play Store partners with a solution-based API platform.</p>
<p>Dapp Play Store today announced its new partnership with MintBase — a Fast, Scalable, & Decentralized NFT Infrastructure. The partnership is timely as it opens users’ access to the exclusive dApp. Now, users now access the MintBase toolkit to build successful NFT Infrastructure.</p>
<p>Dapp Play Store today will now allow Users to run, create, download, and interact with MintBase tool on its platform. MintBase: An overview Mintbase is a platform built on Near blockchain that allows anyone to create their NFTs with ease without any technical knowledge or complexities. It is basically a software or toolkit where artists or businesses can create NFTs to sell digital items, music, and tickets for their next show. Mintbase is considered the “Shopify for NFTs’ ‘ where People can tokenize anything other than money.</p>
<p>MintBase comes into the space to simplify and encourage more users and businesses to create digital values. By simplifying entries, MintBase is allowing entry and creativity into the NFT and web3 space as a whole. Thanks to MintBase, developers and businesses can now create the evolution of web 3.0 ticketing, music, and gaming platforms. The platform offers users access to various creative allocation and redemption mechanisms for their users. Users can mint free NFTs on MintBase, though network charges still may apply.</p>
<p>The platform was first deployed on the ethereum network, but due to the problems of gas fee and scalability of the network, it moved to the Near network. There was a record of 1,000,000 minted NFTs on MintBase using the near network by DeadMau5. The Near protocols have brought in new ideas to the platform. Thanks to its concept and minting scale are remarkably possible. Users and Developers are rewarded using its tool for creation using the MintBase token.</p>
<p>Nate Geier, founder, Mintbase said: “At Mintbase, we believe that we are moving away from massive single NFT marketplaces towards more individual and community-owned ones. Sharded WASM chains are the future as they operate with other more desired programming languages like Rust and AssemblyScript.”</p>
<p><strong>MintBase:</strong></p>
<p>The store The MintBase store is basically a user-owned NFT smart contract that has its own Decentralized API and dApp. In the store, users can customise the interface, check analytics and a lot of other things. Already Mintbase has over 1,239 stores deployed on it as of August 1 2022.</p>
<p>The store field can be customised using the launchpad tab. The Launchpad tab is where users perform all your actions on the NFTs from your stores, or from other stores where you are a minter. These actions can be things like minting, listing, sending, burning an NFT, and so on. Through the launchpad, you can perform actions like managing all of your smart contracts or Navigating through the owned NFTs field where users can have direct access to their NFTs and perform various actions.</p>
<p><strong>MintBase:</strong></p>
<p>The Gorilla shop The Gorilla shop is a platform deployed on MintBase that makes use of the idea of MintBase but in a more simplified way. Thus, MintBase can be described as a Shopify of Shopifies: not only that users can build their own marketplace, but they can also build marketplaces for marketplaces. The Gorilla shop is Built in such a way that with only a few clicks, users can deploy a marketplace and mint thousands of NFTs using Mintbase API as a backbone. In another, users can build a shop by purchasing an advanced theme and customising it to suit their standard.</p>
<p><strong>The Automatic Metaverse:</strong></p>
<p>Gallery Every store on Mintbase has its own virtual gallery set up automatically on Minting. The Metaverse gallery is also called the 3XR space which is a 3D multiplayer experience for the internet of the future. The 3XR space makes use of the intersection of web3 and WebXR. Automatically if you deploy a smart contract on mintbase, a 3XR space is created and becomes populated with NFT users mint. As there are thousands of stores on the platform, the 3XR also displays NFT of the entire ecosystem of stores.</p>
<p>The 3XR space is created in a 3d Metaverse display with a great interface for interaction. The space is customizable using the CreateThing where users can add both the NFT user own or don’t own. The tool allows creators to build their custom space using any NFTs from the MintBase ecosystem and select a template from the gallery then back it with some relevant details. Users can also mint NFTs from the space. All participants are rewarded for using the space and they get paid anytime a gallery gets sold.</p>
<p>The 3XR space can also be used to hold events such as auctioning where they can tax other users before they enter. They can also create a closed space with limited access and deploy a token such that only people with that token can participate in the action or perform various activities. Such that the NFT gallery itself can serve as a ticket for the virtual event. You can read more here</p>
<p><strong>About Dapp Play Store Dapp Play Store:</strong></p>
<p>Home to the most creative and inclusive Dapps in the world. Dapp Play Store is the next generational Web3 application store & content management system. The first platform to house all dApps is built on a variety of blockchain networks, a digital distribution platform utilizing the decentralized infrastructure for software storage and scalability.</p>
<p>Due to our decentralization and tokenomics, we are able to reward each app that submits its project to the Dapp Play Store with our native token for their participation. A peer-to-peer marketplace for decentralized applications. Essentially Dapp Play Store platform provides a comprehensive set of software solutions to run, create, download, monetize and interact with an easy user experience, complete interoperability and an infinite amount of dApps at your command.</p>
<p>By the virtue of this partnership, MintBase will be joining the family of DApps on the Dapp Play Store.</p>
<p><strong>Written by Mustapha kamaldeen</strong></p>
</section>
|
Dapp Play Store enters a strategic partnership with MintBase.
In the world of the digital era, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) are getting their use cases and are opening room for different opportunities. NFT refers to digital assets built on blockchain technology which is exactly one of its types. They are always in the form of some type of artwork (graphic, audio, or video), or even as an in-game asset for certain virtual worlds. Having gained a lot of investors and art lovers’ interest, the craze is arguably at its peak. Understandably, one of the greatest barriers to joining the NFT space is creating and selling your digital assets. As it requires significant technical expertise until Mintbase shows up. That is why the dapp play store is presenting opportunities for NFT lovers to make the process easier and faster.
About the Partnership Giving room for talented developers to deploy their decentralized applications to the public, Dapp Play Store partners with a solution-based API platform.
Dapp Play Store today announced its new partnership with MintBase — a Fast, Scalable, & Decentralized NFT Infrastructure. The partnership is timely as it opens users’ access to the exclusive dApp. Now, users now access the MintBase toolkit to build successful NFT Infrastructure.
Dapp Play Store today will now allow Users to run, create, download, and interact with MintBase tool on its platform. MintBase: An overview Mintbase is a platform built on Near blockchain that allows anyone to create their NFTs with ease without any technical knowledge or complexities. It is basically a software or toolkit where artists or businesses can create NFTs to sell digital items, music, and tickets for their next show. Mintbase is considered the “Shopify for NFTs’ ‘ where People can tokenize anything other than money.
MintBase comes into the space to simplify and encourage more users and businesses to create digital values. By simplifying entries, MintBase is allowing entry and creativity into the NFT and web3 space as a whole. Thanks to MintBase, developers and businesses can now create the evolution of web 3.0 ticketing, music, and gaming platforms. The platform offers users access to various creative allocation and redemption mechanisms for their users. Users can mint free NFTs on MintBase, though network charges still may apply.
The platform was first deployed on the ethereum network, but due to the problems of gas fee and scalability of the network, it moved to the Near network. There was a record of 1,000,000 minted NFTs on MintBase using the near network by DeadMau5. The Near protocols have brought in new ideas to the platform. Thanks to its concept and minting scale are remarkably possible. Users and Developers are rewarded using its tool for creation using the MintBase token.
Nate Geier, founder, Mintbase said: “At Mintbase, we believe that we are moving away from massive single NFT marketplaces towards more individual and community-owned ones. Sharded WASM chains are the future as they operate with other more desired programming languages like Rust and AssemblyScript.”
MintBase:
The store The MintBase store is basically a user-owned NFT smart contract that has its own Decentralized API and dApp. In the store, users can customise the interface, check analytics and a lot of other things. Already Mintbase has over 1,239 stores deployed on it as of August 1 2022.
The store field can be customised using the launchpad tab. The Launchpad tab is where users perform all your actions on the NFTs from your stores, or from other stores where you are a minter. These actions can be things like minting, listing, sending, burning an NFT, and so on. Through the launchpad, you can perform actions like managing all of your smart contracts or Navigating through the owned NFTs field where users can have direct access to their NFTs and perform various actions.
MintBase:
The Gorilla shop The Gorilla shop is a platform deployed on MintBase that makes use of the idea of MintBase but in a more simplified way. Thus, MintBase can be described as a Shopify of Shopifies: not only that users can build their own marketplace, but they can also build marketplaces for marketplaces. The Gorilla shop is Built in such a way that with only a few clicks, users can deploy a marketplace and mint thousands of NFTs using Mintbase API as a backbone. In another, users can build a shop by purchasing an advanced theme and customising it to suit their standard.
The Automatic Metaverse:
Gallery Every store on Mintbase has its own virtual gallery set up automatically on Minting. The Metaverse gallery is also called the 3XR space which is a 3D multiplayer experience for the internet of the future. The 3XR space makes use of the intersection of web3 and WebXR. Automatically if you deploy a smart contract on mintbase, a 3XR space is created and becomes populated with NFT users mint. As there are thousands of stores on the platform, the 3XR also displays NFT of the entire ecosystem of stores.
The 3XR space is created in a 3d Metaverse display with a great interface for interaction. The space is customizable using the CreateThing where users can add both the NFT user own or don’t own. The tool allows creators to build their custom space using any NFTs from the MintBase ecosystem and select a template from the gallery then back it with some relevant details. Users can also mint NFTs from the space. All participants are rewarded for using the space and they get paid anytime a gallery gets sold.
The 3XR space can also be used to hold events such as auctioning where they can tax other users before they enter. They can also create a closed space with limited access and deploy a token such that only people with that token can participate in the action or perform various activities. Such that the NFT gallery itself can serve as a ticket for the virtual event. You can read more here
About Dapp Play Store Dapp Play Store:
Home to the most creative and inclusive Dapps in the world. Dapp Play Store is the next generational Web3 application store & content management system. The first platform to house all dApps is built on a variety of blockchain networks, a digital distribution platform utilizing the decentralized infrastructure for software storage and scalability.
Due to our decentralization and tokenomics, we are able to reward each app that submits its project to the Dapp Play Store with our native token for their participation. A peer-to-peer marketplace for decentralized applications. Essentially Dapp Play Store platform provides a comprehensive set of software solutions to run, create, download, monetize and interact with an easy user experience, complete interoperability and an infinite amount of dApps at your command.
By the virtue of this partnership, MintBase will be joining the family of DApps on the Dapp Play Store.
Written by Mustapha kamaldeen
|
90d14112-d101-5c59-a712-88f0d2df4f4b
|
25/08/2025 16:02:44
|
|
https://dswan.medium.com/warning-unregistered-post-39932dc375e1
|
medium.com
|
WARNING: Unregistered post!
|
March 4, 2023
|
David Swan
|
https://medium.com/@dswan
|
39932dc375e1
| null |
2 min
|
2023-03-04T19:07:34.090000
|
2023-03-04T18:55:49.509000
|
2023-03-05T04:15:44.021000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Ron Desantis,Jason Brodeur,Bloggers,First Amendment,Thomas Paine
|
<section>
<h1>March 4, 2023</h1>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/800/0*4KkExP3U69jnhiIt" width="800" height="159" loading="lazy" />
<p>I am a blogger and I am writing about <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong>. More specifically: about how one of <strong>Ron Desantis’s</strong> allies wants to force bloggers to register with the state of Florida if they write about <strong>Ron DeSantis.</strong></p>
<p>As Dave Barry, one of the all-time great Floridians, would say: “I am not making this up.” The <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/florida-bill-would-require-bloggers-who-write-about-governor-to-register-with-the-state/">bill </a>from State Sen. <strong>Jason Brodeur </strong>would require those who blog about “the Governor ( <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong>), the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature,” to register at state offices and report how much they got paid. Scribes who don’t comply would be fined.</p>
<p>Of course, anyone with a fifth-grade grasp of government might remember a thing called the “Constitution,” which says we shall not register journalists, writers, pundits, philosophers, or bloggers either. <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong>, who went to Harvard and Yale, knows this bill is a crock of flamingo feces. I suspect <strong>Jason Brodeur</strong> does too.</p>
<p>His argument is that paid bloggers are like lobbyists and should be treated accordingly. However, I don’t make a cent writing about <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong> (or folks not named <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong>). Not surprisingly, critics are all over this mess like flies at a beach picnic. One legal expert told <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/floridas-controversial-blogging-bill-explained-182217084.html">yahoo! news</a>, “It’s hard to imagine a proposal that would be more violative of the First Amendment.” <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/senator-jason-brodeur-is-a-moron-but-hes-a-solo-moron/">National Review</a> succinctly called it “an unconstitutional, moronic disgrace.”</p>
<p>We could laugh except that <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong> doesn’t want anyone to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089221657/dont-say-gay-florida-desantis">say “gay”</a> in schools. <strong>Ron DeSantis </strong><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/03/desantis-promises-florida-will-control-disney-content.html">is trying to dictate</a> the content of Disney cartoons. A man <strong>Ron DeSantis </strong>appointed to a Disney oversight board thinks tap water can change straight people into gay ones. I’m <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/politics/kfile-ron-desantis-disney-ron-peri-anti-lgbtq/index.html">not making this up</a> either.</p>
<p>I’m almost done writing about <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong> for now. I’ll close with a few pithy words from a man who wrote pamphlets but would probably be a blogger today and would never bow down to <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong>. I’d say this quote captures <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong> and <strong>Jason Brodeur </strong>pretty well.</p>
<p>“ <em>Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions</em>.”― <strong>Thomas Paine, </strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2548496">Common Sense</a></p>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://davesswan.wordpress.com/2023/03</em>/04/warning-unregistered-post/">http://davesswan.wordpress.com</a> on March 4, 2023.</p>
<h2>Recent posts</h2>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/@dswan/my-new-short-story-come-sing-it-plain-218c0d893688?source=your_stories_page-------------------------------------">My new short story: “Come Sing It Plain”</a>
<a href="https://medium.com/@dswan/bots-in-love-ai-yi-yi-b26551dc1da7?source=your_stories_page-------------------------------------">Bots in love: AI-yi-yi!</a>
<a href="https://medium.com/@dswan/the-frogs-in-the-coal-mine-61a9d43616be?source=your_stories_page-------------------------------------">The frogs in the coal mine</a></p>
</section>
|
WARNING: Unregistered post!
March 4, 2023
I am a blogger and I am writing about Ron DeSantis. More specifically: about how one of Ron Desantis’s allies wants to force bloggers to register with the state of Florida if they write about Ron DeSantis.
As Dave Barry, one of the all-time great Floridians, would say: “I am not making this up.” The bill from State Sen. Jason Brodeur would require those who blog about “the Governor ( Ron DeSantis), the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature,” to register at state offices and report how much they got paid. Scribes who don’t comply would be fined.
Of course, anyone with a fifth-grade grasp of government might remember a thing called the “Constitution,” which says we shall not register journalists, writers, pundits, philosophers, or bloggers either. Ron DeSantis, who went to Harvard and Yale, knows this bill is a crock of flamingo feces. I suspect Jason Brodeur does too.
His argument is that paid bloggers are like lobbyists and should be treated accordingly. However, I don’t make a cent writing about Ron DeSantis (or folks not named Ron DeSantis). Not surprisingly, critics are all over this mess like flies at a beach picnic. One legal expert told yahoo! news, “It’s hard to imagine a proposal that would be more violative of the First Amendment.” National Review succinctly called it “an unconstitutional, moronic disgrace.”
We could laugh except that Ron DeSantis doesn’t want anyone to say “gay” in schools. Ron DeSantis is trying to dictate the content of Disney cartoons. A man Ron DeSantis appointed to a Disney oversight board thinks tap water can change straight people into gay ones. I’m not making this up either.
I’m almost done writing about Ron DeSantis for now. I’ll close with a few pithy words from a man who wrote pamphlets but would probably be a blogger today and would never bow down to Ron DeSantis. I’d say this quote captures Ron DeSantis and Jason Brodeur pretty well.
“ Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.”― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Originally published at http://davesswan.wordpress.com on March 4, 2023.
Recent posts
My new short story: “Come Sing It Plain”
Bots in love: AI-yi-yi!
The frogs in the coal mine
|
7c35e1a8-2e91-5cb2-a1bf-40657c3c205a
|
25/08/2025 16:02:44
|
https://ericfoster-99700.medium.com/the-virginia-election-and-trumps-impact-what-does-it-mean-a43226e6b5dc
|
medium.com
|
The Virginia Election and Trump’s impact, what does it mean?
|
Everyone, pump your brakes and realize that last night was the first step on the journey of 1,000 miles, not a long term victory. Trump…
|
Eric Foster
|
https://medium.com/@ericfoster-99700
|
a43226e6b5dc
| null |
4 min
|
2017-11-09T04:54:45.147000
|
2017-11-09T05:07:49.232000
|
2017-11-09T05:07:49.927000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Politics,Election 2018,Elections,Trump,Consumer Behavior
|
<section>
<p>Everyone, pump your brakes and realize that last night was the first step on the journey of 1,000 miles, not a long term victory. Trump supporters voted for Gillespie at similar rate & share as for Trump. The Trump appeal did *worked* in the most hard-core trump areas, which moved even further towards Gillespie and he lost by 4 points more than Trump in 2016. This dynamic is reflective in the split between White voters with degree vs White voters without a degree and White urban/suburban voters versus White Exburb/Rural voters. The divide is growing between these voting consumer groups.</p>
<p>White Urban voters, White Suburban voters White college educated voters & White women voted against Trump through Gillespie at higher percentage, while increasing their share of the overall white vote. What was more telling about the partial White voter rebellion against Gillespie/Trump was the performance of White women with college degrees. This group that split evenly in the 2013 Virginia governor’s election, favored Northam by 16 points over Gillespie in preliminary exit polling, 58 percent to 42 percent. Northam’s margin is more than twice as wide as the margin Hillary Clinton won those voters by last year, 50 percent to 44 percent. Now Trump, Steve Bannon and the Conservative Mainstream Media (CMSM) are attacking Gillespie for not embracing Trump more and inviting them in to provide “full Trumpism” for Gillespie. Trump/Bannon believe they can increase the overall white voter % for Republican candidates w/these groups, while ignoring growing their American voters of color share beyond the 17%. Here’s what may shock you all, but without a full embrace by a Republican candidate of Trump in a purple, diverse electorate to see if their White Nationalism would pull these white voters that rejected Gillespie in or drive them away from Trump and their candidate. Lacking this full embrace, of Trump on the ground in a similar race, we can project but not speak with complete certainty.</p>
<p>Virginia Voters of Color rejected Trump through Gillespie at an equal percentage as 2016 (Net non-white 80% Northam, 19% Gillespie, Net non-white 79% Clinton 17% Trump), but increased their turnout rate (28% of total vote in 2013, 30% of total vote in 2014 and 33% of total vote in 2017). This is the second component that matters, yet is consistent. Trump’s white nationalism identity politics, by its nature is built to turn off Americans of Color and Jewish American voters as a part of attracting non-Trump white voters to Trump, the us versus them cycle. What was difference & is critical from this point, the backlash in participation from Virginia voters of color was just much bigger. It’s a good step, but to capitalize on the Trump dynamic and pivot towards a broader National Democratic wave, you have to increase understanding the “buying rationale” of different voting consumer groups & broaden sales message beyond “working class” or “middle class”. Dem policies help rich, middle & poor, speak to the broader anchor narrative of Dems for all Americans, Common Sense policies for a Common Sense America & then sell to individual voting consumer groups based upon their buying profile under this overarching message. Strategically, if Dems can pivot to a broader policy with phraseology narrative, retain these White voter groups & maintain Americans of Color voting percentage & their 2016 turnout levels at minimum, it opens up broader electoral map opportunities in 2018 and that gets you more seats.</p>
<p>Separately, Donald Trump & Steve Bannon war with the Establishment GOP towards white nationalist political agenda, is pushing the GOP off the narrow cliff of ethnicity. That cliff is the overwhelming White American share of Republican voters, which doesn’t give either side more wiggle room. Starting with national exit polling in the 1968 election, the share of Republican voters who are White Americans has not dropped below 88%. The highest share of Americans of color in the Republican electorate was 12% in both 2004 and the 2016 general elections. At the same time, Democratic voting share has grown more diverse, starting at 77% White/23% Americans of color in 1968 to 45% White American/55% Americans of color & Jewish American in 2016. As America has grown in the diversity of its adult population, the American of Color population has shifted to the Democratic Party in an outsized impact to their overall population share. The GOP can’t depend on a Republican voting consumer base of 88% to 96% White Americans. That base is decreasing by day & is becoming more ideologically in line with Trump than traditional Republican norms and values and has essentially stayed as proportionally white as it was in 1968. Gillespie’s partial embrace of this did help him maintain Trump level support in Trump parts of Virginia and increased his support with Trump counties over his 2014 US Senate campaign loss. So it worked and hurt him all at the same time.</p>
<p>So, while Virginia does provide the McConnell/Ryan Establishment wing of the GOP with a “Come to Jesus” opportunity, which would be to actually change their direction and attempt to implement a real & tangible sales approach to Americans of Color, Jewish Americans and the non-Trump White American voter, the critical push back from Trump/Bannon is to triple down on the white nationalist agenda & hope to grow their share of White American voters from 61% in 2016 to roughly 67% by 2018 and 71% by 2020. The looming question for Republicans is which path do you pick and how do you manage the backlash that you face either way? Last night was a step for both parties and will help shape the 2018 and 2020 electoral focus, but neither side has locked up the path to 2018 and 2020 based upon last night’s results.</p>
</section>
|
The Virginia Election and Trump’s impact, what does it mean?
Everyone, pump your brakes and realize that last night was the first step on the journey of 1,000 miles, not a long term victory. Trump supporters voted for Gillespie at similar rate & share as for Trump. The Trump appeal did *worked* in the most hard-core trump areas, which moved even further towards Gillespie and he lost by 4 points more than Trump in 2016. This dynamic is reflective in the split between White voters with degree vs White voters without a degree and White urban/suburban voters versus White Exburb/Rural voters. The divide is growing between these voting consumer groups.
White Urban voters, White Suburban voters White college educated voters & White women voted against Trump through Gillespie at higher percentage, while increasing their share of the overall white vote. What was more telling about the partial White voter rebellion against Gillespie/Trump was the performance of White women with college degrees. This group that split evenly in the 2013 Virginia governor’s election, favored Northam by 16 points over Gillespie in preliminary exit polling, 58 percent to 42 percent. Northam’s margin is more than twice as wide as the margin Hillary Clinton won those voters by last year, 50 percent to 44 percent. Now Trump, Steve Bannon and the Conservative Mainstream Media (CMSM) are attacking Gillespie for not embracing Trump more and inviting them in to provide “full Trumpism” for Gillespie. Trump/Bannon believe they can increase the overall white voter % for Republican candidates w/these groups, while ignoring growing their American voters of color share beyond the 17%. Here’s what may shock you all, but without a full embrace by a Republican candidate of Trump in a purple, diverse electorate to see if their White Nationalism would pull these white voters that rejected Gillespie in or drive them away from Trump and their candidate. Lacking this full embrace, of Trump on the ground in a similar race, we can project but not speak with complete certainty.
Virginia Voters of Color rejected Trump through Gillespie at an equal percentage as 2016 (Net non-white 80% Northam, 19% Gillespie, Net non-white 79% Clinton 17% Trump), but increased their turnout rate (28% of total vote in 2013, 30% of total vote in 2014 and 33% of total vote in 2017). This is the second component that matters, yet is consistent. Trump’s white nationalism identity politics, by its nature is built to turn off Americans of Color and Jewish American voters as a part of attracting non-Trump white voters to Trump, the us versus them cycle. What was difference & is critical from this point, the backlash in participation from Virginia voters of color was just much bigger. It’s a good step, but to capitalize on the Trump dynamic and pivot towards a broader National Democratic wave, you have to increase understanding the “buying rationale” of different voting consumer groups & broaden sales message beyond “working class” or “middle class”. Dem policies help rich, middle & poor, speak to the broader anchor narrative of Dems for all Americans, Common Sense policies for a Common Sense America & then sell to individual voting consumer groups based upon their buying profile under this overarching message. Strategically, if Dems can pivot to a broader policy with phraseology narrative, retain these White voter groups & maintain Americans of Color voting percentage & their 2016 turnout levels at minimum, it opens up broader electoral map opportunities in 2018 and that gets you more seats.
Separately, Donald Trump & Steve Bannon war with the Establishment GOP towards white nationalist political agenda, is pushing the GOP off the narrow cliff of ethnicity. That cliff is the overwhelming White American share of Republican voters, which doesn’t give either side more wiggle room. Starting with national exit polling in the 1968 election, the share of Republican voters who are White Americans has not dropped below 88%. The highest share of Americans of color in the Republican electorate was 12% in both 2004 and the 2016 general elections. At the same time, Democratic voting share has grown more diverse, starting at 77% White/23% Americans of color in 1968 to 45% White American/55% Americans of color & Jewish American in 2016. As America has grown in the diversity of its adult population, the American of Color population has shifted to the Democratic Party in an outsized impact to their overall population share. The GOP can’t depend on a Republican voting consumer base of 88% to 96% White Americans. That base is decreasing by day & is becoming more ideologically in line with Trump than traditional Republican norms and values and has essentially stayed as proportionally white as it was in 1968. Gillespie’s partial embrace of this did help him maintain Trump level support in Trump parts of Virginia and increased his support with Trump counties over his 2014 US Senate campaign loss. So it worked and hurt him all at the same time.
So, while Virginia does provide the McConnell/Ryan Establishment wing of the GOP with a “Come to Jesus” opportunity, which would be to actually change their direction and attempt to implement a real & tangible sales approach to Americans of Color, Jewish Americans and the non-Trump White American voter, the critical push back from Trump/Bannon is to triple down on the white nationalist agenda & hope to grow their share of White American voters from 61% in 2016 to roughly 67% by 2018 and 71% by 2020. The looming question for Republicans is which path do you pick and how do you manage the backlash that you face either way? Last night was a step for both parties and will help shape the 2018 and 2020 electoral focus, but neither side has locked up the path to 2018 and 2020 based upon last night’s results.
|
90e8f31b-5868-5bab-844b-af6e5c0e3248
|
25/08/2025 16:02:44
|
https://mklords.medium.com/coffee-2-54507b7ff870
|
medium.com
|
coffee #2
|
11/22/16
|
MK Lords
|
https://medium.com/@mklords
|
54507b7ff870
| null |
0 min
|
2016-11-22T15:56:05.880000
|
2016-11-22T15:58:00.395000
|
2018-01-06T13:37:50.099000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Coffee,Haiku,Poetry,Violence,Humor
|
<section>
<p>11/22/16</p>
<p>denying payment
for my coffee order is
pretty much violence</p>
</section>
|
coffee #2
11/22/16
denying payment
for my coffee order is
pretty much violence
|
12d5334c-9372-5699-956b-465d0d8d61cb
|
25/08/2025 16:02:45
|
https://medium.com/@ICSLearn/how-bill-gates-predicted-the-future-of-talent-management-in-1999-98e17d47a4a0
|
medium.com
|
How Bill Gates Predicted the Future of Talent Management in 1999
|
Bill Gates is no stranger to trailblazing, having created one of the most successful tech companies on the face of the planet.
|
ICS Learn
|
https://medium.com/@ICSLearn
|
98e17d47a4a0
|
3 min
|
2019-02-11T15:32:02.340000
|
2019-02-11T15:33:39.002000
|
2021-12-07T12:28:10.474000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Recruiting,Culture,Tech,Microsoft,Human Resources
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5200/1*tsuiuOcYuyXvIhYpLmTRpA.jpeg" width="5200" height="4200" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Bill Gates is no stranger to trailblazing, having created one of the most successful tech companies on the face of the planet.</strong></p>
<p>Back in 1999, his book Business @ the Speed of Thought laid out his expectations of how technology and business would merge together in the coming years.</p>
<p>At the time, these predictions seemed outlandish or even impossible. In the years since, many of these forecasts have been proven eerily correct, showing just how forward-thinking Gates was — and still is!</p>
<h1>The Rise of Digital Recruitment</h1>
<p>Among the chapters of the book, you’ll find early ideas on smartphones, social media and even flexible working. Gates describes a future in which workers and business owners will be connected through the internet, in ways that most couldn’t imagine at that time.</p>
<p>One element that Gates covers in the book is the rise of digital recruitment and talent sourcing. In his thoughts for the future, he noted that those seeking new roles would be able to broadcast their search and their key skills. For recruiters, this would mean cherry picking those with exactly the right competencies to meet the task.</p>
<p>He wasn’t wrong. <a href="https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/global-stats-recruiting-trends/">Research shows</a> that 79% of jobseekers are likely to use social media for their job search and 84% of companies use it to attract applicants.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/750/0*ec36Wy_Z9PZ1Xngn.jpg" width="750" height="432" loading="lazy" />
<p>Platforms like LinkedIn Jobs are experiencing exponential growth, with tools like the open candidate feature allowing employees to advertise their availability. LinkedIn’s Endorsements and Skills sections allow candidates to show off their strongest traits, and premium products and InMails further bridge the gap between recruiters and candidates.</p>
<p>This courting process works both ways, as companies can use social platforms to extol their virtues too. To be successful at attracting talent, companies need to cultivate an appealing brand image.</p>
<h2>Predictions for HR</h2>
<p>Gates also lays out the perfect digital HR strategy in this book, illustrated by an imaginary employee. He describes this employee using the internet to order their own materials, manage their paycheck, enter time off and apply for benefits.</p>
<p>In his ideal onboarding process, paperwork is kept to a minimum, software schedules the interviews and the employee is empowered to deal with these minor tasks. If you’ve ever wanted to approach the C-suite about streamlining these processes, then the fact that the technology to do so has been around for <em>two decades </em>might be a good conversation starter!</p>
<p>On the subject of productivity and upskilling, Gates says:</p>
<p><em>“Give your workers better jobs with better tools, and you’ll discover that your employees will become more responsible and bring more intelligence to their work.</em> <em>In the digital age you need to make knowledge workers out of every employee that you can.”</em></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/0*d7tvevWwAmIqA_eB.jpg" width="500" height="347" loading="lazy" />
<p>Give your colleagues the opportunity to take on more responsibility and expand their horizons. Use technology to make this accessible and flexible, allowing employees to take ownership of their own development.</p>
<p>The desire to innovate, retain and reward is still very much present in the people profession in 2019, much as Gates hoped it would be in 1999. Keeping ahead of the curve with talent management and modern learning methods will help you advance your own HR career as well as the careers of those around you.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.icslearn.co.uk/blog/posts/2019/february/how-bill-gates-predicted-the-fut</em>ure-of-talent-management-in-1999/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=mediumblog">Ready to upskill your HR team through online learning? Check out our innovative CIPD courses.</a></p>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://ww</em>w.icslearn.co.uk/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=mediumblog">www.icslearn.co.uk</a>.</p>
</section>
|
How Bill Gates Predicted the Future of Talent Management in 1999
Bill Gates is no stranger to trailblazing, having created one of the most successful tech companies on the face of the planet.
Back in 1999, his book Business @ the Speed of Thought laid out his expectations of how technology and business would merge together in the coming years.
At the time, these predictions seemed outlandish or even impossible. In the years since, many of these forecasts have been proven eerily correct, showing just how forward-thinking Gates was — and still is!
The Rise of Digital Recruitment
Among the chapters of the book, you’ll find early ideas on smartphones, social media and even flexible working. Gates describes a future in which workers and business owners will be connected through the internet, in ways that most couldn’t imagine at that time.
One element that Gates covers in the book is the rise of digital recruitment and talent sourcing. In his thoughts for the future, he noted that those seeking new roles would be able to broadcast their search and their key skills. For recruiters, this would mean cherry picking those with exactly the right competencies to meet the task.
He wasn’t wrong. Research shows that 79% of jobseekers are likely to use social media for their job search and 84% of companies use it to attract applicants.
Platforms like LinkedIn Jobs are experiencing exponential growth, with tools like the open candidate feature allowing employees to advertise their availability. LinkedIn’s Endorsements and Skills sections allow candidates to show off their strongest traits, and premium products and InMails further bridge the gap between recruiters and candidates.
This courting process works both ways, as companies can use social platforms to extol their virtues too. To be successful at attracting talent, companies need to cultivate an appealing brand image.
Predictions for HR
Gates also lays out the perfect digital HR strategy in this book, illustrated by an imaginary employee. He describes this employee using the internet to order their own materials, manage their paycheck, enter time off and apply for benefits.
In his ideal onboarding process, paperwork is kept to a minimum, software schedules the interviews and the employee is empowered to deal with these minor tasks. If you’ve ever wanted to approach the C-suite about streamlining these processes, then the fact that the technology to do so has been around for two decades might be a good conversation starter!
On the subject of productivity and upskilling, Gates says:
“Give your workers better jobs with better tools, and you’ll discover that your employees will become more responsible and bring more intelligence to their work. In the digital age you need to make knowledge workers out of every employee that you can.”
Give your colleagues the opportunity to take on more responsibility and expand their horizons. Use technology to make this accessible and flexible, allowing employees to take ownership of their own development.
The desire to innovate, retain and reward is still very much present in the people profession in 2019, much as Gates hoped it would be in 1999. Keeping ahead of the curve with talent management and modern learning methods will help you advance your own HR career as well as the careers of those around you.
Ready to upskill your HR team through online learning? Check out our innovative CIPD courses.
Originally published at www.icslearn.co.uk.
|
d3aded68-c66e-577c-9de3-7ffd8836a115
|
25/08/2025 16:02:45
|
|
https://medium.com/@camilleastute/bond-with-your-team-while-building-bikes-for-charity-7f23bbed4116
|
medium.com
|
Bond with Your Team While Building Bikes for Charity
|
If you are pondering how to mix adventure, team building, and serving others into one event, then I have a cool idea for you! Let me tell…
|
Camille Bryant
|
https://medium.com/@camilleastute
|
7f23bbed4116
|
4 min
|
2020-02-17T12:59:18.904000
|
2020-02-17T13:08:40.327000
|
2021-12-13T13:27:38.687000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Teamwork,Team Building,Team Collaboration,Teambuildingactivities,Leadership
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/862/0*0ip4UqcB3l1LCJXo.png" width="862" height="485" loading="lazy" />
<p>If you are pondering how to mix adventure, team building, and serving others into one event, then I have a cool idea for you! Let me tell you about a Build A Bike Charity event put on by <a href="https://www.thegogame.com/team-building-activity/build-a-bike-charity-csr">The Go Games</a>. You can incorporate this into a week-long team session or do this as a stand-alone event.</p>
<p>What is a Bike Building Event? Simply put, it is an exciting game where small teams compete with other teams to earn points and build bikes that are then donated to deserving children.</p>
<p>Before I tell you more about the process, let me share with you some of the fun outcomes of this 2-hour experience.</p>
<p>Extraordinary Outcomes</p>
<p>Members of a large team bond and develop connections.</p>
<p>The team is fully energized (adrenaline will be pumping).</p>
<p>The team experiences the intrinsic reward of doing something special for needy and deserving children.</p>
<p>Fun memories that last forever in a capstone video montage.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/640/0*BM75s-2lgoT85t-S.png" width="640" height="444" loading="lazy" />
<p>Instructions</p>
<p>Invite everyone on the team to a surprise event and leave them in suspense.</p>
<p>Small teams of 5–8 are formed and each team is given an iPhone with a special app ready to go.</p>
<p>These teams perform a variety of challenges to earn points and ultimately a bike kit to build. (Making silly videos, answering trivia questions, etc.)</p>
<p>Once the team earns their bike kit, they build it.</p>
<p>All bikes are ridden through an obstacle course and must pass an inspection.</p>
<p>The team decorates their bike with crepe paper, balloons, and signs.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1279/0*bpeiigCNV6Hvq-cT.jpg" width="1279" height="828" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/446/0*MJAEQHwed0wSrR_H.png" width="446" height="480" loading="lazy" />
<p>7. Additional points can be earned to earn more bike kits.</p>
<p>8. At the end of the time frame (about 2 hours), you’ll have a collection of Huffy bikes to donate to a local charity or school.</p>
<p>9. (Optional): invite the children who will receive the bikes to the end of your event and present the bikes to them immediately.</p>
<p>10. Later, watch a funny video with pictures and videos from the team challenges to relive the experience.</p>
<p>I’ve experienced this event twice and both events were fantastic. Some of the activities teams do to win points include; making funny videos, taking creative photographs, trivia questions (which can be customized to your team), and even helping other teams.</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Example #1 Team Bonding</strong></p>
<p>The first event where I experienced a bike build had about 80 people from all over the globe. Collectively, we built about 30 bikes (that’s 2–4 bikes per team). We were put together with our new project team as a bonding experience.</p>
<p>After all the bikes were built, the organizers surprised us again. They moved us to a room filled with children and their parents awaiting their brand new bike. We discovered that these children were selected by their elementary school Principal for Perfect Attendance and Good Citizenship. Each child’s name was called out and someone from the team who built the bike presented that bike to the child while the room cheered. Tears were shed by most of us because it was very touching.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/0*9liqbZtteXVrtnn4.jpg" width="1024" height="808" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Example #2 Building Relationships</strong></p>
<p>In the second example, I was facilitating a session that involved both team building and training. We hired The Go Games to come and facilitate this event on the second evening of a week-long team event. This event included 42 extended team members divided into 8 groups of 5. The people in these groups were mixed by role and location in order to build relationships across the extended team. Each team performed a series of silly and hilarious activities to earn points to build two bikes. One team even built a bonus bike.</p>
<p>In the end, this team built and donated 17 bikes to a local Boys and Girls Club who used them to incentivize children in a school literacy program. On the last day of the off-site, this team watched a 15-minute video montage of the event and relived all the fun, joy, and excitement together. This team had the Boys and Girls Club come and pick up the bikes directly from the conference center.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/0*cPPPQJcjIklIqQ9X.jpg" width="1024" height="628" loading="lazy" />
<p>The Go Games facilitator who was highly skilled, energetic and she oversaw a team that inspected the bikes. If desired, The Go games will help you find a charity to donate the bikes.</p>
<p><strong>Summary</strong></p>
<p>If you are looking for a memorable and meaningful, fun team building activity, I strongly recommend the Build a Bike for Charity event with <a href="https://www.thegogame.com/team-building-activity/build-a-bike-charity-csr">The Go Games</a>.</p>
<p><em>Note: There are other organizations that also organize and facilitate bike builds, but I have experienced <a href="https://www.thegogame.com/team-building-activity/build-a-bike-charity-csr">The Go Games</a> as a participant and a facilitator and they are ama</em>zing. I am not a paid sponsor of The Go Games, nor compensated in any way for this blog.</p>
<p><em><strong>About the Author: </strong>Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Learn about her Better Teams Model and <a </em>href="https://better-teams.com/assessment/">Team Assessment</a> here.</p>
</section>
|
Bond with Your Team While Building Bikes for Charity
If you are pondering how to mix adventure, team building, and serving others into one event, then I have a cool idea for you! Let me tell you about a Build A Bike Charity event put on by The Go Games. You can incorporate this into a week-long team session or do this as a stand-alone event.
What is a Bike Building Event? Simply put, it is an exciting game where small teams compete with other teams to earn points and build bikes that are then donated to deserving children.
Before I tell you more about the process, let me share with you some of the fun outcomes of this 2-hour experience.
Extraordinary Outcomes
Members of a large team bond and develop connections.
The team is fully energized (adrenaline will be pumping).
The team experiences the intrinsic reward of doing something special for needy and deserving children.
Fun memories that last forever in a capstone video montage.
Instructions
Invite everyone on the team to a surprise event and leave them in suspense.
Small teams of 5–8 are formed and each team is given an iPhone with a special app ready to go.
These teams perform a variety of challenges to earn points and ultimately a bike kit to build. (Making silly videos, answering trivia questions, etc.)
Once the team earns their bike kit, they build it.
All bikes are ridden through an obstacle course and must pass an inspection.
The team decorates their bike with crepe paper, balloons, and signs.
7. Additional points can be earned to earn more bike kits.
8. At the end of the time frame (about 2 hours), you’ll have a collection of Huffy bikes to donate to a local charity or school.
9. (Optional): invite the children who will receive the bikes to the end of your event and present the bikes to them immediately.
10. Later, watch a funny video with pictures and videos from the team challenges to relive the experience.
I’ve experienced this event twice and both events were fantastic. Some of the activities teams do to win points include; making funny videos, taking creative photographs, trivia questions (which can be customized to your team), and even helping other teams.
Example #1 Team Bonding
The first event where I experienced a bike build had about 80 people from all over the globe. Collectively, we built about 30 bikes (that’s 2–4 bikes per team). We were put together with our new project team as a bonding experience.
After all the bikes were built, the organizers surprised us again. They moved us to a room filled with children and their parents awaiting their brand new bike. We discovered that these children were selected by their elementary school Principal for Perfect Attendance and Good Citizenship. Each child’s name was called out and someone from the team who built the bike presented that bike to the child while the room cheered. Tears were shed by most of us because it was very touching.
Example #2 Building Relationships
In the second example, I was facilitating a session that involved both team building and training. We hired The Go Games to come and facilitate this event on the second evening of a week-long team event. This event included 42 extended team members divided into 8 groups of 5. The people in these groups were mixed by role and location in order to build relationships across the extended team. Each team performed a series of silly and hilarious activities to earn points to build two bikes. One team even built a bonus bike.
In the end, this team built and donated 17 bikes to a local Boys and Girls Club who used them to incentivize children in a school literacy program. On the last day of the off-site, this team watched a 15-minute video montage of the event and relived all the fun, joy, and excitement together. This team had the Boys and Girls Club come and pick up the bikes directly from the conference center.
The Go Games facilitator who was highly skilled, energetic and she oversaw a team that inspected the bikes. If desired, The Go games will help you find a charity to donate the bikes.
Summary
If you are looking for a memorable and meaningful, fun team building activity, I strongly recommend the Build a Bike for Charity event with The Go Games.
Note: There are other organizations that also organize and facilitate bike builds, but I have experienced The Go Games as a participant and a facilitator and they are amazing. I am not a paid sponsor of The Go Games, nor compensated in any way for this blog.
About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Learn about her Better Teams Model and Team Assessment here.
|
953b8748-7eea-5a80-a71f-6cd30d05f577
|
25/08/2025 16:02:45
|
|
https://medium.com/@john.ling_38449/millionaire-boom-the-meteoric-rise-of-abundance-da7b59082799
|
medium.com
|
Millionaire Boom: The Meteoric Rise of Abundance
|
We are living in a time of great social upheaval. But here’s the unspoken truth: we are also living in a time of great wealth generation.
|
John Ling
|
https://medium.com/@john.ling_38449
|
da7b59082799
|
6 min
|
2023-11-05T22:07:10.198000
|
2023-11-05T22:08:54.111000
|
2023-11-05T22:08:59.581000
| 0 | 2 |
en
|
Millionaire,Investors,Wealth,Money,Economics
|
<section>
<p>‘How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.’</p>
<p><em><strong>— Robert </em>G. Allen</strong></p>
<p>Talk to your neighbour. Talk to your accountant. Talk to your pastor.</p>
<p>It’s obvious that we live in unsettled times.</p>
<p>So, what are we most concerned about?</p>
<p><strong>Well, here are the burning issues at the moment:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Income. Debt. Inflation.</li>
<li>Crime. Conspiracy. Scandal.</li>
<li>Uncertainty. Anxiety. Anguish.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Yes, it feels like a lot to digest, doesn’t it?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>More and more, we’re hearing debates about the haves and have-nots; the winners and the losers; the privileged and the underprivileged.</li>
<li>To add fuel to the fire, the ideological gap between the Left and the Right has never been wider. The Left wants more central planning to redistribute wealth in the name of equality. Meanwhile, the Right wants more deregulation to boost wealth in the name of free enterprise.</li>
<li>Globally, I can see that the pendulum of power appears to be swinging to the Right.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>But is this emotional upheaval actually new? Or it this simply a case of déjà vu? Have we been here before?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Think back to the 1970s. It was a restless decade, marked by the OPEC oil crisis, the Watergate scandal, and the end of the Vietnam War. Public trust in government had eroded, plunging to an all-time low. Meanwhile, a counter-culture rebellion happened, inspiring terrorists like Carlos the Jackal, as well as serial killers like Ted Bundy.</li>
<li>Now, look closely at the 2020s. You will see eerie parallels to the 1970s. The Covid pandemic, the inflationary crisis, and the culture war have proven to be corrosive for our society. And once again, public trust in government is broken.</li>
<li>If you follow an Abrahamic faith like Christianity or Islam, then you might believe that all this represents the End Times. However, if you follow a karmic faith like Buddhism and Hinduism, then you might simply see this as another stage in the cycle of life.</li>
<li>In the words of J.M. Barrie’s <em>Peter Pan</em>: ‘All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.’</li>
</ul>
<h1>What does the big picture of wealth look like?</h1>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*0SY_tx3sivrPywAl.jpg" width="1200" height="1303" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>The news keeps saying that our wealth gap is getting larger. But what if I told you something contrarian? What if I told you that our wealth gap is actually getting smaller? What if our collective prosperity is actually accelerating?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Well, if we choose to look beyond the negative headlines, one hidden trend becomes obvious — we’re living in a time of great upward mobility for wealth.</li>
<li>Between 2012 and 2022, the number of millionaires in the world has doubled. It’s grown from around 28 million to 59 million. This has happened despite the Covid pandemic and the inflationary crisis.</li>
<li>To put this into perspective, in 2012, only 0.6% of the world’s adults were millionaires. However, by 2022, that number had risen to 1.1%.</li>
<li>Here’s something even more remarkable. By 2027, one forecast suggests that the number of millionaires will grow even more. It will reach approximately 86 million — which is a 45% increase from 2022.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Thomas Piketty, who wrote the book <em>Capital in the Twenty-First Century</em>, explains why this is h</strong>appening:</p>
<ul>
<li>Over the long-term, the rate of return on capital (<em>r</em>) is greater than the rate of economic growth (<em>g</em>).</li>
<li>Here’s what it means in plain English: what you invest in (<em>r</em>) will grow faster than what you work for (<em>g</em>).</li>
<li>So, with all things being held equal, investing in a dividend-paying stock may yield a better growth opportunity than working for a fixed wage.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1253/0*wLHpHVx-pSUtwqsZ.png" width="1253" height="1063" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>The compounding nature of capital, as well as successive waves of innovation, has been extraordinary. Here are some facts from <em>A Wealth of Common Se</strong>nse</em>:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>1,000 years after Jesus walked the earth the world was barely any richer. It took 500 years for income to double from there. Then between 1820 and 1900, the world’s income tripled. It tripled again in a little more than 50 years. It took only 25 years for it to triple again, and another 33 years to triple yet again.</em></li>
<li><em>Just 200 years ago, 85% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. 20 years ago it was 29%. Today only 9% live in extreme poverty.</em></li>
<li><em>Since 1995, 30 of the world’s 109 developing countries have seen economic growth rates that amount to a doubling of income every 18 years. Another 40 countries have had rates that would double income every 35 years, which is comparable to the historical growth rate of the U.S.</em></li>
<li><em>Retirement still is a relatively new concept. In the past most people simply worked until they died. In the year 1870, for those who lived past age 65, the labor force participation ratio for males was close to 90%. Today it’s less than 20%.</em></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Of course, progress isn’t sexy. It doesn’t grab headlines. It doesn’t generate clicks. But, still, you can’t deny the steady march of progress:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>The pace of change over the past century has been breathtaking. My own family has gone from peasants to refugees to working class to middle class within just four generations.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>What is most striking for me is the democratisation of wealth:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>What used to be restricted to the domain of royals and aristocrats is now increasingly available to the rest of us. The gilded doors are being thrown open. Investment vehicles are becoming more accessible by the day.</li>
<li>So, forget King Charles or the Kardashians. The true rock stars of wealth today are the regular folks. The self-made people who have planned well and invested well.</li>
<li>These entrepreneurs have benefited from the longest bull run since the Second World War. It has allowed them to build up net financial assets of between $1 million to $5 million. These people now make up 86% of the millionaires on Earth.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/750/0*g9y3qOvfKrcI9pK4.jpg" width="750" height="1104" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>So, what exactly does a self-made millionaire look like? Well, one of the best books on the subject is <em>The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy</em>, published by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. They explain some k</strong>ey facts:</p>
<ul>
<li>Most millionaires actually live in middle-class and blue-collar neighbourhoods.</li>
<li>They reject overt status symbols of luxury.</li>
<li>They have a habit of spending less than they earn.</li>
<li>They don’t take excessive risk. They save and invest steadily for years, focusing on building long-term wealth.</li>
<li>In other words, most millionaires are modest, practical, and unassuming. For them, attaining financial independence is far more important than keeping up with the Joneses.</li>
</ul>
<h2>It’s time to think differently</h2>
<p><strong>Self-made millionaires tend to be resilient:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>They are regular folks who have painstakingly built up their wealth instead of inheriting it.</li>
<li>Indeed, despite what the news may wrongly portray, these people are helping the world to change for the better. They are investing in companies that are creating new jobs, new products, new services.</li>
<li>In fact, if there’s a problem out there, you can bet your bottom dollar: there’s already an entrepreneur working hard at figuring out a creative solution for it. And that, in turn, will generate even more wealth in the long run.</li>
<li>Yes, the economic disruption that we have experienced lately is emotionally unnerving — but for those with strong stomachs, a brighter horizon may beckon.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>At Wealth Morning, we run what may be the only active night-trading desk in New Zealand for our <a href="https://www.wealthmorn</strong>ing.com/our-exclusive-products/vistafolio-portfolio-investment-management/">Eligible and Wholesale Clients:</a></p>
<ul>
<li>Every week, we aim to buy into exceptional companies in the Australia, the USA, the UK, and beyond.</li>
<li>Our focus is on sectors that offer the perfect balance of growth and income.</li>
<li>Our mission? To capture pockets of outstanding opportunity where we can.</li>
<li>Where others see doubt, we see clarity — and we aim to use it as an springboard to build a better future.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Regards,</strong></p>
<p><strong>John Ling</strong></p>
<p><strong>Analyst,</strong> <em><strong>Wealth</em> Morning</strong></p>
<p><em>(This article is general in nature and should not be construed as any financial or investment advice. To obtain guidance for your specific situation, please seek independent financial advice.)</em></p>
</section>
|
Millionaire Boom: The Meteoric Rise of Abundance
‘How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.’
— Robert G. Allen
Talk to your neighbour. Talk to your accountant. Talk to your pastor.
It’s obvious that we live in unsettled times.
So, what are we most concerned about?
Well, here are the burning issues at the moment:
Income. Debt. Inflation.
Crime. Conspiracy. Scandal.
Uncertainty. Anxiety. Anguish.
Yes, it feels like a lot to digest, doesn’t it?
More and more, we’re hearing debates about the haves and have-nots; the winners and the losers; the privileged and the underprivileged.
To add fuel to the fire, the ideological gap between the Left and the Right has never been wider. The Left wants more central planning to redistribute wealth in the name of equality. Meanwhile, the Right wants more deregulation to boost wealth in the name of free enterprise.
Globally, I can see that the pendulum of power appears to be swinging to the Right.
But is this emotional upheaval actually new? Or it this simply a case of déjà vu? Have we been here before?
Think back to the 1970s. It was a restless decade, marked by the OPEC oil crisis, the Watergate scandal, and the end of the Vietnam War. Public trust in government had eroded, plunging to an all-time low. Meanwhile, a counter-culture rebellion happened, inspiring terrorists like Carlos the Jackal, as well as serial killers like Ted Bundy.
Now, look closely at the 2020s. You will see eerie parallels to the 1970s. The Covid pandemic, the inflationary crisis, and the culture war have proven to be corrosive for our society. And once again, public trust in government is broken.
If you follow an Abrahamic faith like Christianity or Islam, then you might believe that all this represents the End Times. However, if you follow a karmic faith like Buddhism and Hinduism, then you might simply see this as another stage in the cycle of life.
In the words of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan: ‘All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.’
What does the big picture of wealth look like?
Source: Visual Capitalist
The news keeps saying that our wealth gap is getting larger. But what if I told you something contrarian? What if I told you that our wealth gap is actually getting smaller? What if our collective prosperity is actually accelerating?
Well, if we choose to look beyond the negative headlines, one hidden trend becomes obvious — we’re living in a time of great upward mobility for wealth.
Between 2012 and 2022, the number of millionaires in the world has doubled. It’s grown from around 28 million to 59 million. This has happened despite the Covid pandemic and the inflationary crisis.
To put this into perspective, in 2012, only 0.6% of the world’s adults were millionaires. However, by 2022, that number had risen to 1.1%.
Here’s something even more remarkable. By 2027, one forecast suggests that the number of millionaires will grow even more. It will reach approximately 86 million — which is a 45% increase from 2022.
Thomas Piketty, who wrote the book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, explains why this is happening:
Over the long-term, the rate of return on capital (r) is greater than the rate of economic growth (g).
Here’s what it means in plain English: what you invest in (r) will grow faster than what you work for (g).
So, with all things being held equal, investing in a dividend-paying stock may yield a better growth opportunity than working for a fixed wage.
Source: Visual Capitalist
The compounding nature of capital, as well as successive waves of innovation, has been extraordinary. Here are some facts from A Wealth of Common Sense:
1,000 years after Jesus walked the earth the world was barely any richer. It took 500 years for income to double from there. Then between 1820 and 1900, the world’s income tripled. It tripled again in a little more than 50 years. It took only 25 years for it to triple again, and another 33 years to triple yet again.
Just 200 years ago, 85% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. 20 years ago it was 29%. Today only 9% live in extreme poverty.
Since 1995, 30 of the world’s 109 developing countries have seen economic growth rates that amount to a doubling of income every 18 years. Another 40 countries have had rates that would double income every 35 years, which is comparable to the historical growth rate of the U.S.
Retirement still is a relatively new concept. In the past most people simply worked until they died. In the year 1870, for those who lived past age 65, the labor force participation ratio for males was close to 90%. Today it’s less than 20%.
Of course, progress isn’t sexy. It doesn’t grab headlines. It doesn’t generate clicks. But, still, you can’t deny the steady march of progress:
The pace of change over the past century has been breathtaking. My own family has gone from peasants to refugees to working class to middle class within just four generations.
What is most striking for me is the democratisation of wealth:
What used to be restricted to the domain of royals and aristocrats is now increasingly available to the rest of us. The gilded doors are being thrown open. Investment vehicles are becoming more accessible by the day.
So, forget King Charles or the Kardashians. The true rock stars of wealth today are the regular folks. The self-made people who have planned well and invested well.
These entrepreneurs have benefited from the longest bull run since the Second World War. It has allowed them to build up net financial assets of between $1 million to $5 million. These people now make up 86% of the millionaires on Earth.
Source: Amazon
So, what exactly does a self-made millionaire look like? Well, one of the best books on the subject is The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, published by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. They explain some key facts:
Most millionaires actually live in middle-class and blue-collar neighbourhoods.
They reject overt status symbols of luxury.
They have a habit of spending less than they earn.
They don’t take excessive risk. They save and invest steadily for years, focusing on building long-term wealth.
In other words, most millionaires are modest, practical, and unassuming. For them, attaining financial independence is far more important than keeping up with the Joneses.
It’s time to think differently
Self-made millionaires tend to be resilient:
They are regular folks who have painstakingly built up their wealth instead of inheriting it.
Indeed, despite what the news may wrongly portray, these people are helping the world to change for the better. They are investing in companies that are creating new jobs, new products, new services.
In fact, if there’s a problem out there, you can bet your bottom dollar: there’s already an entrepreneur working hard at figuring out a creative solution for it. And that, in turn, will generate even more wealth in the long run.
Yes, the economic disruption that we have experienced lately is emotionally unnerving — but for those with strong stomachs, a brighter horizon may beckon.
At Wealth Morning, we run what may be the only active night-trading desk in New Zealand for our Eligible and Wholesale Clients:
Every week, we aim to buy into exceptional companies in the Australia, the USA, the UK, and beyond.
Our focus is on sectors that offer the perfect balance of growth and income.
Our mission? To capture pockets of outstanding opportunity where we can.
Where others see doubt, we see clarity — and we aim to use it as an springboard to build a better future.
Regards,
John Ling
Analyst, Wealth Morning
(This article is general in nature and should not be construed as any financial or investment advice. To obtain guidance for your specific situation, please seek independent financial advice.)
|
f8c2605f-43dc-5a6f-afe3-f92afcc0e347
|
25/08/2025 16:02:46
|
|
https://medium.com/@bowshygowtham/variable-environment-in-javascript-unveiling-scopes-and-variable-accessibility-faa125bb5bde
|
medium.com
|
Variable Environment in JavaScript: Unveiling Scopes and Variable Accessibility
|
In the realm of JavaScript programming, understanding how variables are organized and accessed within different scopes is paramount. The…
|
Bowshygowtham
|
https://medium.com/@bowshygowtham
|
faa125bb5bde
|
3 min
|
2023-08-27T12:32:03.467000
|
2023-08-27T12:41:49.075000
|
2023-08-27T12:41:50.531000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
JavaScript
|
<section>
<p>In the realm of JavaScript programming, understanding how variables are organized and accessed within different scopes is paramount. The concept of the “variable environment” plays a crucial role in managing variables, their values, and their scope accessibility. In this blog, we’ll embark on a journey to uncover the intricacies of the variable environment, exploring its significance and impact on your code.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3840/1*FrRFIuu2TIaTcQk-czyREg.jpeg" width="3840" height="2160" loading="lazy" />
<h3>What is the Variable Environment?</h3>
<p>The variable environment can be thought of as the space where variables and their corresponding values are stored during the execution of a particular code block or function. It’s essentially a data structure that associates variable names with their values, allowing JavaScript to look up and manage variables efficiently.</p>
<h3>Scopes and Variable Accessibility:</h3>
<p>JavaScript employs different types of scopes, which determine where variables can be accessed within your code. The variable environment plays a pivotal role in these scopes:</p>
<p><strong>Global Scope:</strong>
The global scope is the outermost scope in JavaScript. Variables declared outside of any function are part of the global scope. The variable environment of the global scope contains all global variables, making them accessible from anywhere in your code.</p>
<p><strong>Function Scope:</strong>
Each function in JavaScript creates its own scope, often referred to as the function scope. The variable environment of a function scope contains parameters and locally declared variables, and it forms a link to its outer scope, enabling variable access in a hierarchical manner.</p>
<p><strong>Block Scope (ES6 and later):</strong>
With the introduction of let and const in ES6, JavaScript gained block-level scoping. Block scopes are created within curly braces {} and are commonly found in loops and conditional statements. The variable environment in block scopes ensures variables are confined within their respective blocks.</p>
<h3>Creation and Lifetime of the Variable Environment:</h3>
<p><strong>Variable Declaration:</strong>
When a variable is declared, its name is added to the variable environment of the current scope. For example, in a function scope, the variable environment includes the function’s parameters and locally declared variables.</p>
<p><strong>Variable Assignment:</strong>
Variables are assigned values within the variable environment. The values are stored in memory locations associated with the variable names.</p>
<p><strong>Variable Deletion:</strong>
When a scope is no longer active (e.g., a function finishes executing), the variables within that scope are removed from the variable environment, and their memory is eventually freed by the JavaScript engine’s garbage collector.</p>
<h3>Nested Scopes and Lexical Scoping:</h3>
<p>JavaScript employs lexical scoping, which means the scope of a variable is determined by its position in the code during the compilation phase, rather than its position during runtime. This allows functions to “remember” their outer scope, even if they are executed in a different context.</p>
<h3>Conclusion: Mastering the Variable Environment</h3>
<p>A solid understanding of the variable environment empowers you to write clean, organized, and maintainable JavaScript code. It enables you to grasp the nuances of scope accessibility, avoid naming conflicts, and optimize memory usage. By delving into the depths of the variable environment, you unlock the ability to harness the full potential of JavaScript’s scoping mechanisms, ultimately elevating your coding prowess to new heights.</p>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">// Global Scope
var globalVariable = "I'm global";
function globalFunction() {
console.log(globalVariable); // Accessible, outputs: "I'm global"
}
globalFunction();
// Function Scope
function functionScopeExample() {
var localVariable = "I'm local";
function innerFunction() {
console.log(localVariable); // Accessible, outputs: "I'm local"
}
innerFunction();
}
functionScopeExample();
// Block Scope (ES6 and later)
function blockScopeExample() {
if (true) {
let blockVariable = "I'm inside the block";
console.log(blockVariable); // Accessible, outputs: "I'm inside the block"
}
// console.log(blockVariable); // Error: blockVariable is not defined
}
blockScopeExample();</code></pre>
<h3>In this code:</h3>
<p>The Global Scope contains the globalVariable accessible within the globalFunction.</p>
<p>The Function Scope demonstrates how localVariable is accessible within both the functionScopeExample function and the nested innerFunction.</p>
<p>The Block Scope showcases the use of let within a block. The blockVariable is accessible only within the block in which it’s defined, illustrating the concept of block scoping introduced with ES6.</p>
<p>These examples highlight how variables are stored within their respective variable environments and how their accessibility is determined by the scope in which they are defined. Understanding these principles is crucial for writing organized and effective JavaScript code.</p>
</section>
|
Variable Environment in JavaScript: Unveiling Scopes and Variable Accessibility
In the realm of JavaScript programming, understanding how variables are organized and accessed within different scopes is paramount. The concept of the “variable environment” plays a crucial role in managing variables, their values, and their scope accessibility. In this blog, we’ll embark on a journey to uncover the intricacies of the variable environment, exploring its significance and impact on your code.
What is the Variable Environment?
The variable environment can be thought of as the space where variables and their corresponding values are stored during the execution of a particular code block or function. It’s essentially a data structure that associates variable names with their values, allowing JavaScript to look up and manage variables efficiently.
Scopes and Variable Accessibility:
JavaScript employs different types of scopes, which determine where variables can be accessed within your code. The variable environment plays a pivotal role in these scopes:
Global Scope:
The global scope is the outermost scope in JavaScript. Variables declared outside of any function are part of the global scope. The variable environment of the global scope contains all global variables, making them accessible from anywhere in your code.
Function Scope:
Each function in JavaScript creates its own scope, often referred to as the function scope. The variable environment of a function scope contains parameters and locally declared variables, and it forms a link to its outer scope, enabling variable access in a hierarchical manner.
Block Scope (ES6 and later):
With the introduction of let and const in ES6, JavaScript gained block-level scoping. Block scopes are created within curly braces {} and are commonly found in loops and conditional statements. The variable environment in block scopes ensures variables are confined within their respective blocks.
Creation and Lifetime of the Variable Environment:
Variable Declaration:
When a variable is declared, its name is added to the variable environment of the current scope. For example, in a function scope, the variable environment includes the function’s parameters and locally declared variables.
Variable Assignment:
Variables are assigned values within the variable environment. The values are stored in memory locations associated with the variable names.
Variable Deletion:
When a scope is no longer active (e.g., a function finishes executing), the variables within that scope are removed from the variable environment, and their memory is eventually freed by the JavaScript engine’s garbage collector.
Nested Scopes and Lexical Scoping:
JavaScript employs lexical scoping, which means the scope of a variable is determined by its position in the code during the compilation phase, rather than its position during runtime. This allows functions to “remember” their outer scope, even if they are executed in a different context.
Conclusion: Mastering the Variable Environment
A solid understanding of the variable environment empowers you to write clean, organized, and maintainable JavaScript code. It enables you to grasp the nuances of scope accessibility, avoid naming conflicts, and optimize memory usage. By delving into the depths of the variable environment, you unlock the ability to harness the full potential of JavaScript’s scoping mechanisms, ultimately elevating your coding prowess to new heights.
// Global Scope
var globalVariable = "I'm global";
function globalFunction() {
console.log(globalVariable); // Accessible, outputs: "I'm global"
}
globalFunction();
// Function Scope
function functionScopeExample() {
var localVariable = "I'm local";
function innerFunction() {
console.log(localVariable); // Accessible, outputs: "I'm local"
}
innerFunction();
}
functionScopeExample();
// Block Scope (ES6 and later)
function blockScopeExample() {
if (true) {
let blockVariable = "I'm inside the block";
console.log(blockVariable); // Accessible, outputs: "I'm inside the block"
}
// console.log(blockVariable); // Error: blockVariable is not defined
}
blockScopeExample();
In this code:
The Global Scope contains the globalVariable accessible within the globalFunction.
The Function Scope demonstrates how localVariable is accessible within both the functionScopeExample function and the nested innerFunction.
The Block Scope showcases the use of let within a block. The blockVariable is accessible only within the block in which it’s defined, illustrating the concept of block scoping introduced with ES6.
These examples highlight how variables are stored within their respective variable environments and how their accessibility is determined by the scope in which they are defined. Understanding these principles is crucial for writing organized and effective JavaScript code.
|
14661936-b924-5422-90d2-292513e5caa5
|
25/08/2025 16:02:46
|
|
https://medium.com/@glennangelodg/something-beautiful-ed22d1c7409f
|
medium.com
|
Something Beautiful
|
Shame. It’s an emotion. One of the basic emotions like happiness, sadness, anger. It’s the reason why I don’t take nearly enough time to…
|
Glenn Angelo De Guzman
|
https://medium.com/@glennangelodg
|
ed22d1c7409f
| null |
5 min
|
2016-09-15T04:31:28.766000
|
2016-09-15T05:03:44.799000
|
2018-01-10T07:17:57.855000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Comedy,Life Lessons,This American Life,Beautiful,Psychology
|
<section>
<p>Shame. It’s an emotion. One of the basic emotions like happiness, sadness, anger. It’s the reason why I don’t take nearly enough time to inhale the sweetness, linger long enough to witness the elegance, and experience the beauty readily found everywhere. If only I was inclined to look. This sounds disconnected. What does shame have to do with the willingness to accept wonder? It’s part an exploration of personality and expectation; to be able to be positive without being stamped as credulous or naive. Life hacks started appearing because no one wants to get this life thing wrong. It has a way of pinching us awake. And for some of us, the only way to get through this is to keep pressing the snooze button many times over. With the amygdala and hippocampus doing its duty we become adjusted human beings. It’s accepted that we lose our innocence in the process in exchange for a GPS to show us the fastest route with traffic alerts and an estimated arrival time. This brings me to the alternative: It’s not easier being pragmatic. As a matter of fact, it’s taxing. There is a demand to get all the details without mistake. On the plus side, to be grounded in reality and expect the thing to exist only to fill its definition makes everything less complicated. We call it routine. Routine lessens uncertainty to what is already a complex day. The only thing to do to deal with this uncertainty is disillusionment —I’ll call it positivity. I know that sounds harsh. What I mean to say is we usually make assumptions with our best expectation, or, intentions. “It’s a good day if I wake up and I’m not walking sideways”, a man recently said to me. The combination of humor based from a series of bad decisions — turned life lesson, now packaged and delivered with a smile is to play a concert of positivity. The caveat: it’s only good because it wasn’t bad. Is this self-awareness good for us? Is the contradiction necessary and need to be a part of our everyday conversation? He didn’t say it was a terrific day outright. No one says it’s a terrific day anymore(notwithstanding the people who are happy by default as long as the sun is out… the sun is always out). Who wants the pressure of having a terrific day anyway?</p>
<p>Gad Elmaleh is a famous comedian in France. You may not have heard of him because he’s not famous in America. For that reason, he moved because it’s a different kind of famous here. If you listen to This American Life the story will sound familiar. I’ll skip right to the point. He’s been in the states for a few years now. He’s doing sets for smaller crowds trying to be funny again. Why? Because people in France laugh at everything he says for who he is not because he’s funny. This is not to say he isn’t funny. Sharing and laughing at an old joke feels more like a sentiment rather than hilarity. Perhaps it comes from the same place, but it’s not the same laugh. Gad is having a hard time being funny in the U.S. The producer of the show(This American Life) decided to have four other comedians listen to Gad’s fifteen minute set. There was one unanimous note in hopes to help Gad go from a good comedian to a great comedian: talk about what matters to him. He’s been used to an entire country(even extending to French speaking countries) laughing at whatever word produced by his mouth. To open up completely to a crowd for a laugh while exposing what really matters to him now, and then wait for the audience to respond is a risk he doesn’t need to take. Will a rolling laugh through the crowd be enough? What if he bombs? Just cricketts. I can’t even imagine the hit to the gut it must be to not be funny after having laughter be the punctuation of every joke. A normal person would be crushed by the level of embarrassment. Not Gad. He wanted to challenge his skill. This is his art. He wanted to find — no, feel a genuine laugh from his audience again. The awkwardness, the humiliation, the newness, the shame of not feeling yourself while purging one experience to gain another, is the compromise for truth, possibly a way to find something beautiful.</p>
<p>What I am getting at is this: can I unabashedly be open to the universe’s grace, really revel at its beauty and say my affections without the “considering” instinct kicking in. No one will shame me for being positive, that’s a ridiculous thought. The notion of “don’t take my kindness for weakness,” has nothing to do with kindness. To be kind takes a hell of alot of guts. My problem is that I’m just not used to being chirpy for its own sake. I subscribe to wit, sarcasm, skewing social norms, and often times layer everything with a dark sense of humor, and I can’t even go into the details what happens during a full moon. I want a stare down contest with the world and say, “I’m not going to look away this time.” This uncomfortable, awkward, confrontational, I’ll even go as far as sadistic way, can be a path into finding beauty in this world. It’s worked before. Conflict and pain forces me to change to be better, at the least, see things differently. But like Gad in a sense, I want to know if my discovery of beauty is the same if I accepted the world’s elegance without resistance and not the other way around. Is it a better beauty? Is it more?</p>
<p>“Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable,” Woody Allen.</p>
<p>Maybe a quote from a self-proclaimed neurotic won’t drive my point home.</p>
<p>How about this man:</p>
<p>“You see that most of us are in conflict, live a life of contradiction, not only outwardly, but also inwardly. Contradiction implies effort. Where there is effort, there is wastage- there is a waste of energy. Where there is contradiction, there is conflict. Where there is conflict, there is effort to get over that conflict which is another form of resistance. And where you resist, there is also a certain form of energy engendered you know that when you resist something, that very resistance creates energy.</p>
<p>All action is based on this friction that I must and I must not. And this form of resistance, this form of conflict, does breed energy; but that energy, if you observe very closely, is very destructive; it is not creative. Most people are in contradiction. And if they have a gift, a talent to write or to paint or to do this or that, the tension of that contradiction gives them the energy to express, to create, to write, to be. The more the tension, the greater the conflict, the greater is the output, and that is what we call creation. But it is not at all creation. It is the result of conflict. To face the fact that you are in conflict, that you are in contradiction, will bring that quality of energy that is not the outcome of resistance.” J. Krishnamurti.</p>
<p>I know, right? Now try reading that with Lawrence Fishburn in your head.</p>
<p>I am full of contradictions. To be frank, I enjoy being slightly off-center, it adds character. Despite my predilection, I want to experience joy and beauty and happiness in a different way. In this “positive” light without contradictions. “How are you going to do that?” I’m glad you asked. Well, to get my head around the idea I am going to take one photo a day, find why or what draws me into it, then write something short and truthful to find out if beauty does exist in everything by being positive. This is a 30-day thought experiment. Wish me luck.</p>
</section>
|
Something Beautiful
Shame. It’s an emotion. One of the basic emotions like happiness, sadness, anger. It’s the reason why I don’t take nearly enough time to inhale the sweetness, linger long enough to witness the elegance, and experience the beauty readily found everywhere. If only I was inclined to look. This sounds disconnected. What does shame have to do with the willingness to accept wonder? It’s part an exploration of personality and expectation; to be able to be positive without being stamped as credulous or naive. Life hacks started appearing because no one wants to get this life thing wrong. It has a way of pinching us awake. And for some of us, the only way to get through this is to keep pressing the snooze button many times over. With the amygdala and hippocampus doing its duty we become adjusted human beings. It’s accepted that we lose our innocence in the process in exchange for a GPS to show us the fastest route with traffic alerts and an estimated arrival time. This brings me to the alternative: It’s not easier being pragmatic. As a matter of fact, it’s taxing. There is a demand to get all the details without mistake. On the plus side, to be grounded in reality and expect the thing to exist only to fill its definition makes everything less complicated. We call it routine. Routine lessens uncertainty to what is already a complex day. The only thing to do to deal with this uncertainty is disillusionment —I’ll call it positivity. I know that sounds harsh. What I mean to say is we usually make assumptions with our best expectation, or, intentions. “It’s a good day if I wake up and I’m not walking sideways”, a man recently said to me. The combination of humor based from a series of bad decisions — turned life lesson, now packaged and delivered with a smile is to play a concert of positivity. The caveat: it’s only good because it wasn’t bad. Is this self-awareness good for us? Is the contradiction necessary and need to be a part of our everyday conversation? He didn’t say it was a terrific day outright. No one says it’s a terrific day anymore(notwithstanding the people who are happy by default as long as the sun is out… the sun is always out). Who wants the pressure of having a terrific day anyway?
Gad Elmaleh is a famous comedian in France. You may not have heard of him because he’s not famous in America. For that reason, he moved because it’s a different kind of famous here. If you listen to This American Life the story will sound familiar. I’ll skip right to the point. He’s been in the states for a few years now. He’s doing sets for smaller crowds trying to be funny again. Why? Because people in France laugh at everything he says for who he is not because he’s funny. This is not to say he isn’t funny. Sharing and laughing at an old joke feels more like a sentiment rather than hilarity. Perhaps it comes from the same place, but it’s not the same laugh. Gad is having a hard time being funny in the U.S. The producer of the show(This American Life) decided to have four other comedians listen to Gad’s fifteen minute set. There was one unanimous note in hopes to help Gad go from a good comedian to a great comedian: talk about what matters to him. He’s been used to an entire country(even extending to French speaking countries) laughing at whatever word produced by his mouth. To open up completely to a crowd for a laugh while exposing what really matters to him now, and then wait for the audience to respond is a risk he doesn’t need to take. Will a rolling laugh through the crowd be enough? What if he bombs? Just cricketts. I can’t even imagine the hit to the gut it must be to not be funny after having laughter be the punctuation of every joke. A normal person would be crushed by the level of embarrassment. Not Gad. He wanted to challenge his skill. This is his art. He wanted to find — no, feel a genuine laugh from his audience again. The awkwardness, the humiliation, the newness, the shame of not feeling yourself while purging one experience to gain another, is the compromise for truth, possibly a way to find something beautiful.
What I am getting at is this: can I unabashedly be open to the universe’s grace, really revel at its beauty and say my affections without the “considering” instinct kicking in. No one will shame me for being positive, that’s a ridiculous thought. The notion of “don’t take my kindness for weakness,” has nothing to do with kindness. To be kind takes a hell of alot of guts. My problem is that I’m just not used to being chirpy for its own sake. I subscribe to wit, sarcasm, skewing social norms, and often times layer everything with a dark sense of humor, and I can’t even go into the details what happens during a full moon. I want a stare down contest with the world and say, “I’m not going to look away this time.” This uncomfortable, awkward, confrontational, I’ll even go as far as sadistic way, can be a path into finding beauty in this world. It’s worked before. Conflict and pain forces me to change to be better, at the least, see things differently. But like Gad in a sense, I want to know if my discovery of beauty is the same if I accepted the world’s elegance without resistance and not the other way around. Is it a better beauty? Is it more?
“Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable,” Woody Allen.
Maybe a quote from a self-proclaimed neurotic won’t drive my point home.
How about this man:
“You see that most of us are in conflict, live a life of contradiction, not only outwardly, but also inwardly. Contradiction implies effort. Where there is effort, there is wastage- there is a waste of energy. Where there is contradiction, there is conflict. Where there is conflict, there is effort to get over that conflict which is another form of resistance. And where you resist, there is also a certain form of energy engendered you know that when you resist something, that very resistance creates energy.
All action is based on this friction that I must and I must not. And this form of resistance, this form of conflict, does breed energy; but that energy, if you observe very closely, is very destructive; it is not creative. Most people are in contradiction. And if they have a gift, a talent to write or to paint or to do this or that, the tension of that contradiction gives them the energy to express, to create, to write, to be. The more the tension, the greater the conflict, the greater is the output, and that is what we call creation. But it is not at all creation. It is the result of conflict. To face the fact that you are in conflict, that you are in contradiction, will bring that quality of energy that is not the outcome of resistance.” J. Krishnamurti.
I know, right? Now try reading that with Lawrence Fishburn in your head.
I am full of contradictions. To be frank, I enjoy being slightly off-center, it adds character. Despite my predilection, I want to experience joy and beauty and happiness in a different way. In this “positive” light without contradictions. “How are you going to do that?” I’m glad you asked. Well, to get my head around the idea I am going to take one photo a day, find why or what draws me into it, then write something short and truthful to find out if beauty does exist in everything by being positive. This is a 30-day thought experiment. Wish me luck.
|
b0f202e5-d1df-54c3-8a02-69ae068aca0a
|
25/08/2025 16:02:46
|
https://medium.com/stanza-co/how-to-build-an-audience-fc-barcelona-7db3ba7d6006
|
medium.com
|
How to Build an Audience: FC Barcelona 🔵🔴
|
Stanza’s product was built in part so event creators could easily market their events in three easy steps: first, build an audience. Next…
|
Stanza
|
https://medium.com/@stanzaeditor
|
7db3ba7d6006
|
1 min
|
2019-07-19T16:21:10.111000
|
2019-07-19T16:58:38.372000
|
2021-12-10T21:49:12.010000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Soccer,Barcelona,Newsletter,Marketing,Audience
|
<section>
<p>Stanza’s product was built in part so event creators could easily market their events in three easy steps: first, build an audience. Next, engage said audience. And for many, monetizing that audience is a final satisfying step. (For more details, check out a <a href="https://stanzaco.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360026838613-How-to-Build-an-Audience-on-Stanza">step-by-step guide on our Help page</a>.)</p>
<p>So how do you build an audience? Many start with distributing their download link in as many places as possible: schedule and ticketing pages, home page, in-app, all over social media all the time…you get the point ;)</p>
<p>In addition to using bigger events like <a href="https://medium.com/stanza-co/schedule-release-fa5cbcf7ef29">schedule release</a> to increase subscribers, audience can be increased 365 days/year. A great example is this newsletter integration from our partners FC Barcelona.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/483/1*0-xbqSfMGnBD0PduJ-VPtw.png" width="483" height="205" loading="lazy" />
<p>The custom image of superstar Leo Messi with a trophy links out <a href="https://www.stanza.co/@barcelona/sync#/">here</a> so fans can easily sync the schedule to their personal calendars.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1125/1*cF1HW55et1qzLz4Ic6_e-A.png" width="1125" height="2436" loading="lazy" />
<p>This is one of the many ways Barca are building subscribers — through email marketing — and they’re getting ramped up on engaging and monetizing their audience as well.</p>
<p>Have a great rest of your week!</p>
<p><em>How are you building your audience? Hit us up on Twitter @stanzacal or at [email protected] and let us know!</em></p>
</section>
|
How to Build an Audience: FC Barcelona 🔵🔴
Stanza’s product was built in part so event creators could easily market their events in three easy steps: first, build an audience. Next, engage said audience. And for many, monetizing that audience is a final satisfying step. (For more details, check out a step-by-step guide on our Help page.)
So how do you build an audience? Many start with distributing their download link in as many places as possible: schedule and ticketing pages, home page, in-app, all over social media all the time…you get the point ;)
In addition to using bigger events like schedule release to increase subscribers, audience can be increased 365 days/year. A great example is this newsletter integration from our partners FC Barcelona.
Barca’s email notification has the easy call to action (Download) up front. Smart move.
The custom image of superstar Leo Messi with a trophy links out here so fans can easily sync the schedule to their personal calendars.
This is one of the many ways Barca are building subscribers — through email marketing — and they’re getting ramped up on engaging and monetizing their audience as well.
Have a great rest of your week!
How are you building your audience? Hit us up on Twitter @stanzacal or at [email protected] and let us know!
|
80026972-e7f8-58c9-bd41-a7eea9b067e0
|
25/08/2025 16:02:46
|
|
https://medium.com/insights-from-the-paris-peace-forum/solars-place-in-the-sun-maximizing-the-energy-gains-633b857f6a10
|
medium.com
|
Solar’s Place in the Sun: Maximizing the Energy Gains
|
In the arena of renewable energy sources, wind and hydropower were the first success stories. Solar photovoltaics (PV) started slowly…
|
Paris Peace Forum
|
https://medium.com/@parispeaceforum
|
633b857f6a10
|
6 min
|
2019-07-02T15:44:41.884000
|
2019-07-18T14:51:02.059000
|
2021-12-10T21:49:55.262000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Climate Change,Renewable Energy,Solar Energy,Electricity,Sun
|
<section>
<h1><strong>Solar’s Place in the Sun: Maximizing the Energy Gains</strong></h1>
<h3>In the arena of renewable energy sources, wind and hydropower were the first success stories. Solar photovoltaics (PV) started slowly catching up, and since 2017 there has been an unmistakable momentum behind the development and deployment of solar energy production.</h3>
<p>We must make the most of this progress. The Paris Peace Forum hosted a discussion at its 2018 inaugural session on how to maximize the gains from this solar expansion. Benefiting from the insight of a concrete knowledge-sharing project of the <strong>International Solar Alliance</strong>, the Forum probed how to bring stakeholders together and facilitate the exchange of research, technical know-how, and best practices.</p>
<h2><strong>What’s the Problem?</strong></h2>
<p>Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy supplies is essential for the world to meet its growing energy demands (and the forecast ahead), to significantly reduce carbon emissions, and to achieve the universal access to energy that moves populations from poverty to prosperity. In fact, widespread lack of access to modern energy hinders progress on <strong>UN Sustainable Development Goals</strong> ranging from health to gender equality, employment, air pollution, education, and economic growth.</p>
<p>The good news is that the transition is underway and new technologies are developing every day. But it is a race against time.</p>
<p>World Energy Outlook 2018</p>
<p><strong>Paul Simon</strong>, the deputy head of the <strong>International Energy Agency</strong>, participated in the Paris Peace Forum and shared forecasts from the <strong>IEA’</strong>s — just-released — annual <strong><a href="https://webstore.iea.or</strong>g/download/summary/190?fileName=English-WEO-2018-ES.pdf">World Energy Outlook 2018 report</a>. This is not just about swapping out energy sources. Global energy demand is expected to grow by more than 25 percent in the next two decades. Almost all that growth will occur in developing economies.</p>
<p>India is particularly notable. Although China will dominate <em>total</em> energy demand, by far the largest energy demand <em>growth</em> will occur in India. “<em>While global energy demand is expected to grow at about 1% per year … India is expected to grow at 3.3%</em>”, Simon reported. Even accounting for the coming demographic surges ahead, this is a remarkable explosion of demand.</p>
<blockquote>India is perhaps the single most important country in terms of global energy growth in the next twenty-five years. Their choices will be critical. By 2023, India will quadruple its solar PV production capabilities.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Paul Simons, International Energy Agency</blockquote>
<p>The panel framed one of the main challenges around keeping pace. The <strong>IEA’</strong>s analysis is “<em>very confident that India will make major progress in reducing — essentially down to zero — the number of people who do not have access to basic electricity</em>”; Asia similarly. But it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable and cost-efficient in order to successfully meet the need. Also, advances in electricity access do not necessarily address needs in heating, industry, or transportation.</p>
<p>Another panelist caveated that while some places are leaping forward, others still face huge deficits. “<em>[The IEA] anticipates that 700 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will still lack access to modern energy</em>.” Spreading advances worldwide is essential.</p>
<h2><strong>What’s at the End of the Tunnel</strong></h2>
<p>The good news is that renewable energy sources are taking off — solar with an especially impressive momentum — and price points are more affordable. The panel pointed to the remarkable 80% drop in the cost of solar technologies in just the last few years. Solar is expected to become cheaper than gas, wind, and even coal over time. Solar will be a big part of the path forward for many developing countries.</p>
<blockquote>Solar PV (photovoltaics) will be the single largest source of new energy generation. It will exceed wind by 2025, hydropower by 2030, and even coal by 2040.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Paul Simons, International Energy Agency</blockquote>
<p>Considering the urgency of the climate change crisis, global population growth, energy demand forecasts, and the need to make large-scale, systemic change to our energy practices, the choices are now. <strong>Philippe Malbranche</strong>, Director General of <strong>France’s National Institute for Solar Energy</strong> (INES) warned about the scope of the challenge — think in terms of ten-fold growth of solar energy production if we want to meet the coming energy demands.</p>
<p>“The yearly market [of solar energy supply] has to grow from almost 100 gigawatts per year to 1000 gigawatts per year, just in the next decade.”</p>
<p>With its focus on concrete solutions, the Paris Peace Forum highlighted a project working to ensure that the rapid spread of solar is done in a sustainable way: the <strong>STAR-C (Solar Technology Application Resource Centre)</strong> project of the <a href="http://www.isolaralliance.org/AboutISA.aspx">International Solar Alliance</a>.</p>
<p>The challenges of global energy demand and carbon-reduction targets do have a resource here to make use of. But as <strong>Megha Pushpendra Yadav</strong>, the representative from <strong>ISA</strong>, described: “<em>it needs to be done in a way that is safe, convenient, affordable, equitable, and sustainable</em>”. It will require a widespread effort and every innovative approach we can muster.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/800/1*vhVJXf6YZAP_Vrt11ChO1g.png" width="800" height="800" loading="lazy" />
<h2><strong>Who’s on the Hot Seat</strong></h2>
<p>The agenda for mobilizing solar is an ideal one for multi-stakeholder collaboration. The <strong>International Solar Alliance</strong> is built on a big tent approach. Their collaborative model not only reaches beyond national borders but also across sectors working closely with multilateral organizations, industry, the scientific community, NGOs and other stakeholders in order to expand solar energy supplies and utilization.</p>
<p><strong>STAR-C</strong> is a capacity-building project of <strong>ISA </strong>that is creating a network of training and technical centers in ISA member countries, in order for them to not only accelerate deployment of solar energy resources but also to be able to support and sustain these platforms.</p>
<p>As Ms. <strong>Pushpendra Yadav</strong> described: think in terms of large scale deployment of new solar energy technologies. For efficiency and durability, training of technicians, systems providers, infrastructure managers, and more will be essential. Not only that, but she also emphasized that when their centers for excellence train “stakeholders”, she considers “stakeholders” to also be the local policymakers, politicians, and bureaucrats. Without their buy-in, there is no systemic solution.</p>
<blockquote>To scale up [solar usage] at the level necessary, we have to enable countries to have a bottom-up approach. It has to be local associations, cities, collectives, and so that propose how to use solar for their local environment.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Philippe Malbranche, INES</blockquote>
<p>Meanwhile, the project’s global centers of excellence have created research facilities for cross-fertilization of knowledge and feedback. The <strong>ISA </strong>presentation drew attention to the importance of information sharing, education, and generally expanding awareness. Ms. <strong>Pushpendra Yadav</strong> spoke of the fluid exchange and cooperation with partners ranging from international organizations (the <strong>IEA </strong>as one example), national institutions (France’s <strong>INES</strong>, for example), development aid agencies and NGOs on the ground.</p>
<p>As Ms. <strong>Yadav </strong>pointed out, it’s also very practical to have contributions from the private sector that is designing and manufacturing these rapidly evolving technologies. For example, when they can donate time from their engineers to provide training programs in developing countries, it is invaluable. Partnerships from and contributions with the scientific community are likewise. <strong>Philippe Malbranche</strong> came back to the scope of the problem, echoing the importance of stakeholder collaboration. If scale-up needs to be ten-fold, then “we need to multiply by ten the number of people trained, feasibility studies, projects, and more — and at the same time mobilize the financing to do so.”</p>
<p>Due to the geographical nature of solar, <strong>STAR-C</strong> is largely a south/south network — building capacities and efficiencies in the solar-rich states within their mandate. But as the diverse panel demonstrated, there is also a north/south component in that <strong>ISA</strong>’s training and technology assistance benefits greatly from the scientific knowledge, research networks, technology resources, and education initiatives from countries beyond their scope. All panelists emphasized how valuable a wide geographical scope is to address global energy challenges and make use of the proliferation of new technologies.</p>
<h2><strong>What’s Next</strong></h2>
<p>Energy demand is growing exponentially, alternatives in renewables are exploding fast, and solar energy is a big part of closing this supply gap. Innovative thinking and tools will be needed to advance under the time pressure we face — whether that be in technical, financial, or organizational arenas.</p>
<p>The diverse panel of practitioners at the Paris Peace Forum offered recommendations for effectively and efficiently advancing the large-scale global transition to solar energy. Each from their own perspective, they emphasized the critical importance of collaboration, sharing best practices, and pooling their unique added value in a complementary manner. Solar supplies, infrastructure, and usage are growing fast. But it will be initiatives that foster knowledge sharing and training, exchange across markets, and collaborative scientific research are going to be the fastest and most effective means to pool ideas and expand the pot of expensive, high-tech resources. Solar scale-up is happening fast.</p>
<p>The Forum thanks panel participants: <strong>Megha Pushpendra Yadav</strong>, Strategic Communications, International Solar Alliance; <strong>Paul Simmons</strong>, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency; <strong>Philippe Malbranche</strong>, Director General, INES (National Institute for Solar Energy). The panel was moderated by <strong>Abdoulaye Mathilde Bord-Laurans, </strong>Head of the Energy Unit, Agence française de développement.</p>
<p><em>This is a publication of the Paris Peace Forum reflecting the debates at the Forum’s inaugural session in November 2018. It does not necessarily represent the conclusions of each individual participant.</em></p>
</section>
|
copyright: Daoudi Aissa
Solar’s Place in the Sun: Maximizing the Energy Gains
In the arena of renewable energy sources, wind and hydropower were the first success stories. Solar photovoltaics (PV) started slowly catching up, and since 2017 there has been an unmistakable momentum behind the development and deployment of solar energy production.
We must make the most of this progress. The Paris Peace Forum hosted a discussion at its 2018 inaugural session on how to maximize the gains from this solar expansion. Benefiting from the insight of a concrete knowledge-sharing project of the International Solar Alliance, the Forum probed how to bring stakeholders together and facilitate the exchange of research, technical know-how, and best practices.
What’s the Problem?
Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy supplies is essential for the world to meet its growing energy demands (and the forecast ahead), to significantly reduce carbon emissions, and to achieve the universal access to energy that moves populations from poverty to prosperity. In fact, widespread lack of access to modern energy hinders progress on UN Sustainable Development Goals ranging from health to gender equality, employment, air pollution, education, and economic growth.
The good news is that the transition is underway and new technologies are developing every day. But it is a race against time.
World Energy Outlook 2018
Paul Simon, the deputy head of the International Energy Agency, participated in the Paris Peace Forum and shared forecasts from the IEA’s — just-released — annual World Energy Outlook 2018 report. This is not just about swapping out energy sources. Global energy demand is expected to grow by more than 25 percent in the next two decades. Almost all that growth will occur in developing economies.
India is particularly notable. Although China will dominate total energy demand, by far the largest energy demand growth will occur in India. “While global energy demand is expected to grow at about 1% per year … India is expected to grow at 3.3%”, Simon reported. Even accounting for the coming demographic surges ahead, this is a remarkable explosion of demand.
India is perhaps the single most important country in terms of global energy growth in the next twenty-five years. Their choices will be critical. By 2023, India will quadruple its solar PV production capabilities.
Paul Simons, International Energy Agency
The panel framed one of the main challenges around keeping pace. The IEA’s analysis is “very confident that India will make major progress in reducing — essentially down to zero — the number of people who do not have access to basic electricity”; Asia similarly. But it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable and cost-efficient in order to successfully meet the need. Also, advances in electricity access do not necessarily address needs in heating, industry, or transportation.
Another panelist caveated that while some places are leaping forward, others still face huge deficits. “[The IEA] anticipates that 700 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will still lack access to modern energy.” Spreading advances worldwide is essential.
What’s at the End of the Tunnel
The good news is that renewable energy sources are taking off — solar with an especially impressive momentum — and price points are more affordable. The panel pointed to the remarkable 80% drop in the cost of solar technologies in just the last few years. Solar is expected to become cheaper than gas, wind, and even coal over time. Solar will be a big part of the path forward for many developing countries.
Solar PV (photovoltaics) will be the single largest source of new energy generation. It will exceed wind by 2025, hydropower by 2030, and even coal by 2040.
Paul Simons, International Energy Agency
Considering the urgency of the climate change crisis, global population growth, energy demand forecasts, and the need to make large-scale, systemic change to our energy practices, the choices are now. Philippe Malbranche, Director General of France’s National Institute for Solar Energy (INES) warned about the scope of the challenge — think in terms of ten-fold growth of solar energy production if we want to meet the coming energy demands.
“The yearly market [of solar energy supply] has to grow from almost 100 gigawatts per year to 1000 gigawatts per year, just in the next decade.”
With its focus on concrete solutions, the Paris Peace Forum highlighted a project working to ensure that the rapid spread of solar is done in a sustainable way: the STAR-C (Solar Technology Application Resource Centre) project of the International Solar Alliance.
The challenges of global energy demand and carbon-reduction targets do have a resource here to make use of. But as Megha Pushpendra Yadav, the representative from ISA, described: “it needs to be done in a way that is safe, convenient, affordable, equitable, and sustainable”. It will require a widespread effort and every innovative approach we can muster.
What is The International Solar Alliance?
Who’s on the Hot Seat
The agenda for mobilizing solar is an ideal one for multi-stakeholder collaboration. The International Solar Alliance is built on a big tent approach. Their collaborative model not only reaches beyond national borders but also across sectors working closely with multilateral organizations, industry, the scientific community, NGOs and other stakeholders in order to expand solar energy supplies and utilization.
STAR-C is a capacity-building project of ISA that is creating a network of training and technical centers in ISA member countries, in order for them to not only accelerate deployment of solar energy resources but also to be able to support and sustain these platforms.
As Ms. Pushpendra Yadav described: think in terms of large scale deployment of new solar energy technologies. For efficiency and durability, training of technicians, systems providers, infrastructure managers, and more will be essential. Not only that, but she also emphasized that when their centers for excellence train “stakeholders”, she considers “stakeholders” to also be the local policymakers, politicians, and bureaucrats. Without their buy-in, there is no systemic solution.
To scale up [solar usage] at the level necessary, we have to enable countries to have a bottom-up approach. It has to be local associations, cities, collectives, and so that propose how to use solar for their local environment.
Philippe Malbranche, INES
Meanwhile, the project’s global centers of excellence have created research facilities for cross-fertilization of knowledge and feedback. The ISA presentation drew attention to the importance of information sharing, education, and generally expanding awareness. Ms. Pushpendra Yadav spoke of the fluid exchange and cooperation with partners ranging from international organizations (the IEA as one example), national institutions (France’s INES, for example), development aid agencies and NGOs on the ground.
As Ms. Yadav pointed out, it’s also very practical to have contributions from the private sector that is designing and manufacturing these rapidly evolving technologies. For example, when they can donate time from their engineers to provide training programs in developing countries, it is invaluable. Partnerships from and contributions with the scientific community are likewise. Philippe Malbranche came back to the scope of the problem, echoing the importance of stakeholder collaboration. If scale-up needs to be ten-fold, then “we need to multiply by ten the number of people trained, feasibility studies, projects, and more — and at the same time mobilize the financing to do so.”
Due to the geographical nature of solar, STAR-C is largely a south/south network — building capacities and efficiencies in the solar-rich states within their mandate. But as the diverse panel demonstrated, there is also a north/south component in that ISA’s training and technology assistance benefits greatly from the scientific knowledge, research networks, technology resources, and education initiatives from countries beyond their scope. All panelists emphasized how valuable a wide geographical scope is to address global energy challenges and make use of the proliferation of new technologies.
What’s Next
Energy demand is growing exponentially, alternatives in renewables are exploding fast, and solar energy is a big part of closing this supply gap. Innovative thinking and tools will be needed to advance under the time pressure we face — whether that be in technical, financial, or organizational arenas.
The diverse panel of practitioners at the Paris Peace Forum offered recommendations for effectively and efficiently advancing the large-scale global transition to solar energy. Each from their own perspective, they emphasized the critical importance of collaboration, sharing best practices, and pooling their unique added value in a complementary manner. Solar supplies, infrastructure, and usage are growing fast. But it will be initiatives that foster knowledge sharing and training, exchange across markets, and collaborative scientific research are going to be the fastest and most effective means to pool ideas and expand the pot of expensive, high-tech resources. Solar scale-up is happening fast.
The Forum thanks panel participants: Megha Pushpendra Yadav, Strategic Communications, International Solar Alliance; Paul Simmons, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency; Philippe Malbranche, Director General, INES (National Institute for Solar Energy). The panel was moderated by Abdoulaye Mathilde Bord-Laurans, Head of the Energy Unit, Agence française de développement.
This is a publication of the Paris Peace Forum reflecting the debates at the Forum’s inaugural session in November 2018. It does not necessarily represent the conclusions of each individual participant.
|
82a8ec90-e932-517a-89f5-c8a174949cff
|
25/08/2025 16:02:46
|
|
https://medium.com/@realtalkwocandallies/youre-worried-about-living-when-we-re-out-here-dying-4f7fe2544b75
|
medium.com
|
You’re worried about living when we’re out here dying
|
The domestic terrorist attacks in Portland are weighing heavily on everyone’s minds. As a black woman, I am devastated for both the…
|
Real Talk: WOC & Allies
|
https://medium.com/@realtalkwocandallies
|
4f7fe2544b75
|
6 min
|
2017-06-01T11:35:13.772000
|
2017-06-04T18:42:03.070000
|
2018-04-25T22:39:20.635000
| 0 | 304 |
en
|
BlackLivesMatter,Civil Rights,Allies,Martin Luther King,Portland
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2048/1*_TD13HcbbCKfnzpiYm3ILQ.jpeg" width="2048" height="1422" loading="lazy" />
<p>The <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/27/530351468/2-dead-1-injured-after-stabbing-in-portland-ore">domestic terrorist attacks in Portland</a> are weighing heavily on everyone’s minds. As a black woman, I am devastated for both the families of Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche and Ricky John Best and for the two African American teenage girls who were subjected to the murderer’s verbal assault and then witnessed him slay those men. It’s terrifying, and we’re all scared as we see more of these attacks in our country. I’m worried about what is happening, but I’m even more worried after hearing that allies are questioning if they should stand up for us anymore. So I want to speak directly to the allies who are reading this.</p>
<p><em>We need you.</em></p>
<p>We need you now more than ever because of what happened in Portland. Yes, it probably will happen again because of the ever increasing hatred in this country. That shouldn’t stop you from continuing to help us fight racism and oppression. As we’ve seen, your standing up for us can literally be a matter of life or death — either our death, your death, or both of our deaths.</p>
<p>The Portland murders are horrific, but this isn’t the first time that allies have been murdered defending people of color. During the Civil Rights Movement, many white people took up the call from Dr. Martin Luther King to join the cause. Oftentimes, this meant heading to the Deep South, where they knew they were putting their lives in danger. I want to tell you about six allies who were slain between 1963 and 1965 while participating in the Civil Rights Movement:</p>
<p>On April 23, 1963, William Lewis Moore was marching alone from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, to deliver a letter he had written to Governor Ross Barnett urging him to accept integration. Moore was known in his community for going on these solo marches because he was that passionate about civil rights. On this particular day, Moore decided to take a break from his march, so he stopped along the side of the road. While Moore was resting, he was shot at close range and killed by a white store owner named Floyd Simpson. Although the bullet was traced to a gun belonging to him, Simpson was never charged with Moore’s murder. (Source: <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs/william-lewis-moore">Southern Poverty Law Center</a>)</p>
<p>In June 1964, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman participated in <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-summer">“Freedom Summer,”</a> an initiative to help blacks in the South register to vote.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*H9_fQkqMxNoVdwTrQmSRWA.jpeg" width="500" height="308" loading="lazy" />
<p>While driving to Meridian, Mississippi, the three were arrested for a supposed traffic violation and jailed. Without being allowed to make a phone call, they were later released into the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan shot and killed both Schwerner and Goodman, then beat and shot Chaney. Searchers discovered their bodies in an earthen dam a month later but not before they discovered the bodies of eight black men who also had been murdered and dumped in various locations. Two of those men were identified as college students Henry Dee and Charles Moore, and both had been kidnapped and murdered. Seven men were tried and found guilty of the murders of Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mississippi-burning-murders-resonate-50-years-later/">but none served more than six years in prison</a>. (Source:<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/freedomsummer-murder/"> Freedom Summer article: “Murder in Mississippi”</a>)</p>
<p>Reverend James Reeb was a Unitarian Universalist minister who came to Selma, Alabama, at the behest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to protest the violent treatment of civil rights marchers by police. On March 9, 1965, Reeb participated in a march with Dr. King and many other clergy, but the marchers were turned back by the police. Staying in Selma that evening and intending to march again the next day, Reeb went to dinner with two other ministers at a local integrated restaurant. As they were leaving the restaurant, they encountered a group of white supremacists who severely beat the men. Reeb later died of his injuries. Dr. King performed the <a href="http://archive.uuworld.org/2001/02/feature2.pdf">eulogy </a>at his funeral. To this day, no one has ever been charged with his murder. (Source: <a href="http://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/adults/river/workshop5/175806.shtml">“James Reeb and the Call to Selma”</a>)</p>
<p>Viola Gregg Liuzzo was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement and a member of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP. On March 21, 1965, Dr. King led the famous <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/selma-montgomery-march">Selma to Montgomery march</a>. Throughout the day, Viola Liuzzo supported the effort by driving participants between the two cities. That evening, while driving black teenage civil rights worker Leroy Moton to Selma, she was shot in the face and killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan — less than two weeks after James Reeb was murdered. Four members were arrested but later acquitted by an all-white jury. Two members, however, were later convicted of federal charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. (Source: <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/viola-gregg-liuzzo-370152">Viola Gregg Liuzzo, biography.com</a>)</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*xCrYYBxEeNZHzH8fTN24Rg.jpeg" width="640" height="480" loading="lazy" />
<p>Jonathan Myrick Daniels was an Episcopalian minister active in the Civil Rights Movement. Like many other clergy, he answered the call from Dr. King to participate in the movement. On August 20, 1965, Daniels was protesting with members of the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sncc">Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) </a>when they were arrested. After spending six days in jail, they were suddenly released. While waiting for rides back to Selma, Daniels and some other protesters — including activist <a href="http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/ruby-nell-sales-39">Ruby Sales</a> — walked to a nearby store to buy drinks. They were met at the entrance by Tom Coleman, who was armed with a shotgun. When Coleman aimed the shotgun at Ruby Sales, Daniels pushed her out of the way, saving her life. He was shot and killed. Coleman was tried and acquitted by an all-white jury. (Source: <a href="http://www.alabamaheritage.com/from-the-vault/remembering-jonathan-myrick-daniels">“Remembering Jonathan Myrick Daniels”</a>)</p>
<p>I can’t help but wonder what qualities these allies possessed that allowed them to put themselves in such dangerous circumstances. At first I thought they were brave, but now I believe it goes way beyond that. These allies possessed a strong personal sense of morality, and that made it impossible for them to just sit back and watch. Their morality was so strong, that it boiled to the top of their consciousness and overran the fear they may have felt about standing up during such a dangerous time.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/594/1*nLG9xx69jGoGkIRXZvAC2A.jpeg" width="594" height="396" loading="lazy" />
<p>For them, seeing how black people were being treated was too much for them to bear, and these allies <em>had </em>to do something. So they left their safe privileged lives, marched with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders, and participated in sit-ins. They extended their hand to help in any way that they could, knowing that it could cost them their lives.</p>
<p>So, allies, you might die in this fight. Your family and friends might lose you. Believe me, this isn’t what we want to happen. I know you’ve been shaken by Portland, but I need you to find that sense of morality that prevents you from sitting back and watching us die. Like the murdered allies, you must continue to leave your privileged lives to march in the streets and participate in sit-ins with us. You must stand up to the very thing that terrifies you. Do not allow the deaths of your fellow allies to extinguish your spirit. Instead let it inflame your moral outrage.</p>
<p>Let me say it again: We need you alongside us. We know you’re scared. We’re scared too, but we can’t win this fight without you.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5036/1*fy4vJeXUlSOBvkpiJMmqQw.png" width="5036" height="83" loading="lazy" />
<p>*<em>Ruby Sales, who is mentioned in this article, is a civil rights activist and racial justice leader. Recently, she was away at her sister’s funeral when her home was flooded with sewer water. Please consider donating to help her restore the priceless historical documents that were damaged: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/R</em>ubySales">https://www.gofundme.com/RubySales</a>.</p>
<p>*<em>This is the collective product of women of color and allies, and this piece specifically comes from an African American voice.</em></p>
</section>
|
You’re worried about living when we’re out here dying
DC Vigil for Charleston Murders. Photo by: Stephen Melkisethian.
The domestic terrorist attacks in Portland are weighing heavily on everyone’s minds. As a black woman, I am devastated for both the families of Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche and Ricky John Best and for the two African American teenage girls who were subjected to the murderer’s verbal assault and then witnessed him slay those men. It’s terrifying, and we’re all scared as we see more of these attacks in our country. I’m worried about what is happening, but I’m even more worried after hearing that allies are questioning if they should stand up for us anymore. So I want to speak directly to the allies who are reading this.
We need you.
We need you now more than ever because of what happened in Portland. Yes, it probably will happen again because of the ever increasing hatred in this country. That shouldn’t stop you from continuing to help us fight racism and oppression. As we’ve seen, your standing up for us can literally be a matter of life or death — either our death, your death, or both of our deaths.
The Portland murders are horrific, but this isn’t the first time that allies have been murdered defending people of color. During the Civil Rights Movement, many white people took up the call from Dr. Martin Luther King to join the cause. Oftentimes, this meant heading to the Deep South, where they knew they were putting their lives in danger. I want to tell you about six allies who were slain between 1963 and 1965 while participating in the Civil Rights Movement:
On April 23, 1963, William Lewis Moore was marching alone from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, to deliver a letter he had written to Governor Ross Barnett urging him to accept integration. Moore was known in his community for going on these solo marches because he was that passionate about civil rights. On this particular day, Moore decided to take a break from his march, so he stopped along the side of the road. While Moore was resting, he was shot at close range and killed by a white store owner named Floyd Simpson. Although the bullet was traced to a gun belonging to him, Simpson was never charged with Moore’s murder. (Source: Southern Poverty Law Center)
In June 1964, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman participated in “Freedom Summer,” an initiative to help blacks in the South register to vote.
Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman. Photo by: sgarri283.
While driving to Meridian, Mississippi, the three were arrested for a supposed traffic violation and jailed. Without being allowed to make a phone call, they were later released into the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan shot and killed both Schwerner and Goodman, then beat and shot Chaney. Searchers discovered their bodies in an earthen dam a month later but not before they discovered the bodies of eight black men who also had been murdered and dumped in various locations. Two of those men were identified as college students Henry Dee and Charles Moore, and both had been kidnapped and murdered. Seven men were tried and found guilty of the murders of Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman but none served more than six years in prison. (Source: Freedom Summer article: “Murder in Mississippi”)
Reverend James Reeb was a Unitarian Universalist minister who came to Selma, Alabama, at the behest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to protest the violent treatment of civil rights marchers by police. On March 9, 1965, Reeb participated in a march with Dr. King and many other clergy, but the marchers were turned back by the police. Staying in Selma that evening and intending to march again the next day, Reeb went to dinner with two other ministers at a local integrated restaurant. As they were leaving the restaurant, they encountered a group of white supremacists who severely beat the men. Reeb later died of his injuries. Dr. King performed the eulogy at his funeral. To this day, no one has ever been charged with his murder. (Source: “James Reeb and the Call to Selma”)
Viola Gregg Liuzzo was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement and a member of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP. On March 21, 1965, Dr. King led the famous Selma to Montgomery march. Throughout the day, Viola Liuzzo supported the effort by driving participants between the two cities. That evening, while driving black teenage civil rights worker Leroy Moton to Selma, she was shot in the face and killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan — less than two weeks after James Reeb was murdered. Four members were arrested but later acquitted by an all-white jury. Two members, however, were later convicted of federal charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. (Source: Viola Gregg Liuzzo, biography.com)
The Selma Movement (The Prize) Marker. Photo by: Jimmy Emerson, DVM.
Jonathan Myrick Daniels was an Episcopalian minister active in the Civil Rights Movement. Like many other clergy, he answered the call from Dr. King to participate in the movement. On August 20, 1965, Daniels was protesting with members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) when they were arrested. After spending six days in jail, they were suddenly released. While waiting for rides back to Selma, Daniels and some other protesters — including activist Ruby Sales — walked to a nearby store to buy drinks. They were met at the entrance by Tom Coleman, who was armed with a shotgun. When Coleman aimed the shotgun at Ruby Sales, Daniels pushed her out of the way, saving her life. He was shot and killed. Coleman was tried and acquitted by an all-white jury. (Source: “Remembering Jonathan Myrick Daniels”)
I can’t help but wonder what qualities these allies possessed that allowed them to put themselves in such dangerous circumstances. At first I thought they were brave, but now I believe it goes way beyond that. These allies possessed a strong personal sense of morality, and that made it impossible for them to just sit back and watch. Their morality was so strong, that it boiled to the top of their consciousness and overran the fear they may have felt about standing up during such a dangerous time.
At the head of the march, nuns, priests and civil rights leaders leave from the City of St. Jude school grounds (L-R Rev. Dominic T. ‘Dom’ Orsini, priest with eye patch (half view), Rev. Arthur Matott, John Lewis (head of SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), Andrew Young, Sister Mary Leoline and Dr. Theodore Gill) on March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama.
For them, seeing how black people were being treated was too much for them to bear, and these allies had to do something. So they left their safe privileged lives, marched with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders, and participated in sit-ins. They extended their hand to help in any way that they could, knowing that it could cost them their lives.
So, allies, you might die in this fight. Your family and friends might lose you. Believe me, this isn’t what we want to happen. I know you’ve been shaken by Portland, but I need you to find that sense of morality that prevents you from sitting back and watching us die. Like the murdered allies, you must continue to leave your privileged lives to march in the streets and participate in sit-ins with us. You must stand up to the very thing that terrifies you. Do not allow the deaths of your fellow allies to extinguish your spirit. Instead let it inflame your moral outrage.
Let me say it again: We need you alongside us. We know you’re scared. We’re scared too, but we can’t win this fight without you.
*Ruby Sales, who is mentioned in this article, is a civil rights activist and racial justice leader. Recently, she was away at her sister’s funeral when her home was flooded with sewer water. Please consider donating to help her restore the priceless historical documents that were damaged: https://www.gofundme.com/RubySales.
*This is the collective product of women of color and allies, and this piece specifically comes from an African American voice.
|
0f24e7d6-5631-5abc-a645-956c346b4c8b
|
25/08/2025 16:02:47
|
|
https://medium.com/@smraiyyan/gpt-4-is-seo-on-the-brink-of-death-7a0f8e6ba108
|
medium.com
|
Is ChatGPT Killing the SEO?
|
And, Can ChatGPT and Classic Search Ever Share the Spotlight?
|
SM Raiyyan
|
https://medium.com/@smraiyyan
|
7a0f8e6ba108
|
3 min
|
2023-03-31T04:08:10.460000
|
2023-03-31T04:39:24.379000
|
2023-03-31T05:08:51.567000
| 2 | 154 |
en
|
ChatGPT,Gpt 4,SEO,Artificial Intelligence,Technology
|
<section>
<h3>And, Can ChatGPT and Classic Search Ever Share the Spotlight?</h3>
<p>The rise of ChatGPT (and GPT-4), as we know it, has sparked discussions about its potential to transform the search engine landscape and the competitive dynamics within it. As a blogger who once had 3 blogs, I personally know how much I worked on getting the SEO done right and trust me,</p>
<blockquote>It’s not easy if you’re just starting out. It just gets easier if you keep writing and doing SEO consistently.</blockquote>
<p>In this article, we will go through the implications of ChatGPT for businesses that rely on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to drive traffic and maintain relevance.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/530/1*_jyJFRgyzgRPwxCtFO3iNg.gif" width="530" height="530" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Join the <a href="https://medium.com/@smraiyyan/membership">Medium Membership Program</a> for only 5$ to continue learning without limits. I’ll receive a small portion of your membership fee </strong>if you use the following link, at no extra cost to you.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://medium.com/@smraiyyan/members</strong>hip">Join Medium with my referral link - SM Raiyyan
<em>Paws up! Dive into the awesomeness of SM Raiyyan's stories (and heaps of other word wizards) on Medium. Get your read…</em>m</a>edium.com</p>
<h1>Chat vs Search: Understanding the Difference</h1>
<p>Traditional search and chat-based search serve different user intents. Classic search generates multiple results ranked by relevance, while a chatbot typically provides one or more responses (<em>usually just one</em>), with multiple answers only given for questions requesting various options. Despite both being offered by search engines, their impact on SEO differs significantly.</p>
<p>For example, a Google search for “<em>good cauliflower pizza crust recipe</em>” yields about 27 websites with recipes and related questions, whereas ChatGPT offers a single, detailed recipe. Depending on the user’s objective, either approach might be preferred. To be honest, SEO strategies are primarily designed for the classic search, with businesses aiming to rank higher on search results pages.</p>
<h2>The ChatGPT Challenge for Businesses</h2>
<p>If users adopt chat-based search, businesses that rely on SEO may face challenges. ChatGPT selected a single recipe without mentioning its source, and when asked about it, the AI explained that the answer was assembled from various pieces of information. This raises concerns for businesses seeking to be discovered through search engines.</p>
<p>For traditional SEO, there are established guidelines for ranking higher on search results pages. However, it remains unclear how businesses can optimize their content to be selected by chatbots like ChatGPT. Many resources discuss using ChatGPT for writing SEO-friendly content, but these focus on making websites more appealing to conventional search engines rather than to chatbots.</p>
<h2>Possible Solutions</h2>
<p>As chat-based search slowly takes off, it is crucial for businesses to reevaluate their search marketing strategies in light of emerging trends. Consider:</p>
<ul>
<li>The potential for chatbots to interfere with specific content: If you offer niche content (e.g., a specialized cooking class), chatbots are less likely to disrupt your visibility.</li>
<li>The impact of chat interfaces on your strategy: If your business relies on answering questions (e.g., through a blog) to attract visitors, how will chatbots that provide their own answers affect you?</li>
</ul>
<p>I’d say that the chatbot era is still making baby steps, and the full implications for SEO still remain uncertain. In the meantime, businesses should monitor their SEO performance and watch for changes as chat-based search technologies continue to grow in popularity.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/0*z-KZ7jlcT2VuJKFG.gif" width="700" height="116" loading="lazy" />
<p>My other writings —</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://medium</strong>.com/@smraiyyan/list/6b5f19244ab3">Awesome chatGPT prompts
<em>All Parts</em>m</a>edium.com</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://medium.com/predict/the-rise-and-fall-of-silicon-vall</strong>ey-bank-3f58e317b18a">From Crypto to Venture Debt: The Rise and Fall of Silicon Valley Bank
<em>America saw its second largest bank failure last week. It is undoubtedly the largest failure of a financial institution…</em>m</a>edium.com</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://medium.com/@smraiyyan/11-new-ai-features-in-ca</strong>nva-to-save-time-and-boost-your-creativity-97b7e894fa2c">11 New Canva AI Features to Save Time and Boost Your Creativity
<em>Making You Look Creative, One Template at a Time!</em>m</a>edium.com</p>
</section>
|
Is ChatGPT Killing the SEO?
And, Can ChatGPT and Classic Search Ever Share the Spotlight?
The rise of ChatGPT (and GPT-4), as we know it, has sparked discussions about its potential to transform the search engine landscape and the competitive dynamics within it. As a blogger who once had 3 blogs, I personally know how much I worked on getting the SEO done right and trust me,
It’s not easy if you’re just starting out. It just gets easier if you keep writing and doing SEO consistently.
In this article, we will go through the implications of ChatGPT for businesses that rely on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to drive traffic and maintain relevance.
OpenAI ChatGPT Logo
Join the Medium Membership Program for only 5$ to continue learning without limits. I’ll receive a small portion of your membership fee if you use the following link, at no extra cost to you.
Join Medium with my referral link - SM Raiyyan
Paws up! Dive into the awesomeness of SM Raiyyan's stories (and heaps of other word wizards) on Medium. Get your read…medium.com
Chat vs Search: Understanding the Difference
Traditional search and chat-based search serve different user intents. Classic search generates multiple results ranked by relevance, while a chatbot typically provides one or more responses (usually just one), with multiple answers only given for questions requesting various options. Despite both being offered by search engines, their impact on SEO differs significantly.
For example, a Google search for “good cauliflower pizza crust recipe” yields about 27 websites with recipes and related questions, whereas ChatGPT offers a single, detailed recipe. Depending on the user’s objective, either approach might be preferred. To be honest, SEO strategies are primarily designed for the classic search, with businesses aiming to rank higher on search results pages.
The ChatGPT Challenge for Businesses
If users adopt chat-based search, businesses that rely on SEO may face challenges. ChatGPT selected a single recipe without mentioning its source, and when asked about it, the AI explained that the answer was assembled from various pieces of information. This raises concerns for businesses seeking to be discovered through search engines.
For traditional SEO, there are established guidelines for ranking higher on search results pages. However, it remains unclear how businesses can optimize their content to be selected by chatbots like ChatGPT. Many resources discuss using ChatGPT for writing SEO-friendly content, but these focus on making websites more appealing to conventional search engines rather than to chatbots.
Possible Solutions
As chat-based search slowly takes off, it is crucial for businesses to reevaluate their search marketing strategies in light of emerging trends. Consider:
The potential for chatbots to interfere with specific content: If you offer niche content (e.g., a specialized cooking class), chatbots are less likely to disrupt your visibility.
The impact of chat interfaces on your strategy: If your business relies on answering questions (e.g., through a blog) to attract visitors, how will chatbots that provide their own answers affect you?
I’d say that the chatbot era is still making baby steps, and the full implications for SEO still remain uncertain. In the meantime, businesses should monitor their SEO performance and watch for changes as chat-based search technologies continue to grow in popularity.
My other writings —
Awesome chatGPT prompts
All Partsmedium.com
From Crypto to Venture Debt: The Rise and Fall of Silicon Valley Bank
America saw its second largest bank failure last week. It is undoubtedly the largest failure of a financial institution…medium.com
11 New Canva AI Features to Save Time and Boost Your Creativity
Making You Look Creative, One Template at a Time!medium.com
|
39806b4c-23b0-5bcc-86c4-b3d3e5c75f3d
|
25/08/2025 16:02:47
|
|
https://medium.com/@masego_m/my-professional-journey-so-far-12cfc25feb6d
|
medium.com
|
My Professional Journey So Far
|
As I embark on this new chapter of my life in Canada, it’s a great moment to reflect on my journey so far — a path filled with continuous…
|
Masego
|
https://medium.com/@masego_m
|
12cfc25feb6d
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*F6UbBWGGnJT2p08Q
|
5 min
|
2024-04-14T15:41:09.918000
|
2024-04-14T15:49:08.807000
|
2024-11-28T18:14:35.291000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Professional,Data Analytics,Data Analyst,Power Bi Developer,Data Scientist
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5426/0*F6UbBWGGnJT2p08Q" width="5426" height="3617" loading="lazy" />
<p>As I embark on this new chapter of my life in Canada, it’s a great moment to reflect on my journey so far — a path filled with continuous learning, professional development, and meaningful contributions across various industries. My name is Masego Modibane, and I am passionate about harnessing the power of data to create impactful, data-driven solutions.</p>
<h3>Academic Foundations and Early Career</h3>
<p>My academic journey began at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where I earned my Bachelor’s and Honours degrees in Mathematical Statistics. I was always that child who enjoyed mathematics throughout school, and I thought I would end up being a maths educator. However, when I got to university, I discovered a strong interest in statistics and its applications, leading me to complete an honours degree. This rigorous academic training equipped me with a deep understanding of statistical methods.</p>
<p>I took a break from academia and went to work for PSG Wealth, a financial services company, where I worked as a graduate placed in a junior business analyst role. During my time there, I had the opportunity to document some processes performed by teams in the organisation. I really wanted to leverage data to improve these processes and hence was motivated to study further to obtain the relevant skills to help me do so.</p>
<p>Fascinated by the potential intersection of finance and technology, I pursued a Master of Philosophy specialising in Financial Technology at the University of Cape Town. This degree introduced me to data science techniques, database modelling, data visualisation techniques, financial mathematics, and software development concepts. My time at the University of Cape Town taught me much of what I use in my professional career in data analytics, as well as how to develop dashboards and reports that are visually appealing while conveying insights effectively.</p>
<h3>Expanding Horizons in Data Analytics</h3>
<p>I started my data analytics career as a Junior Data Scientist at Discovery Health in Johannesburg, where I focused on healthcare data. There, I developed data visualisations to detect fraudulent activities in healthcare claims by turning data into actionable insights that could prevent significant financial losses. This included creating reports that identified if hospitals were abusing the use of consumables, such as syringes and gloves, for certain procedures, detecting upcoding on procedures performed by pathologists to claim more money from the company, and building a tool that consolidated the view of brokers while trying to detect any fraudulent or anomalous activities performed by these brokers. Developing these reports was interesting as I got to work with many stakeholders from different areas of the business and tried to turn a requirement into a visual report utilising my statistics knowledge and data visualisation skills to help our stakeholders catch anomalous activity quicker. I had a lot of freedom to work with different tools including R, Python, Power BI, and SQL. I was very fortunate to have supportive leaders who encouraged innovative solutions.</p>
<p>My next role at Explore AI (now merged with Sand Technologies) saw me diving deeper into the utilities sector, where I was responsible for creating and maintaining Power BI dashboards that visualised asset health across different cohorts in the water and wastewater domains of a UK-based Utilities company. I worked with tools like PySpark and Azure Databricks to hone my skills in data processing and analytics, further affirming my capability to manage and translate large datasets into strategic insights. I also had the privilege of supervising a group of interns through a data science project for our consulting company, as well as managing a junior Power BI Developer in our project. At my time at Explore AI, I learned a lot about my ability to adapt as I had to adapt to a new industry (utilities) and a new way of working (agile). I also learned management skills, communication skills, and that I love teaching or transferring knowledge as much as I can. It was one of the best places I worked at as the agile way of working worked like a well-oiled machine and almost always delivered on our set objectives. Maybe I will create another Medium article on why I think the team setup we had is great for effective data product development.</p>
<p>I have also had the opportunity to join the freelance platform, Upwork. On Upwork, I worked for a B-BBEE Compliance Management software company that required a Power BI specialist to occasionally build and tailor some of their reports according to their requirements for their clients. In this role, I was able to learn about how the B-BBEE system is meant to be implemented in companies throughout South Africa. It also elevated my understanding of Power BI because working in a different industry presented a different kind of reporting requirement.</p>
<p>Most recently, I served as a Functional and Industry Analytics Consultant with Accenture in Johannesburg. In this role, I spearheaded the development of Power BI reports for an Oil and Gas company, enhancing data reporting standards and facilitating more informed business decisions through advanced data visualisations. This was a particularly challenging role because it was the first time I had to take over work instead of being at the beginning of a project. I also came into the project before it went into production, and the proper protocols were not in place as the reports created in development used a subset of the data and not the large dataset that only became available as I joined. Nonetheless, I had to refactor the work done before and ensure that the reports were built to be more sustainable for the size of the data that were feeding into each report. I also got to learn about Power BI Gateways, Power BI licences, and connection between AWS Redshift to a Power BI report. I also used SQL to extract, load, and transform the data. I also had the opportunity to manage and mentor a junior Data Analyst. In my short time here, I still managed to learn a new industry as well as work on multiple cool reports that include providing insights on identifying discrepancies between point-of-sale transactions and what is recorded from the fuel pumps, utilisation of pumps, and if the company needs to reconfigure the forecourt based on utilisation, and providing a look at dry sites and dry tanks to assist with fuel deliveries and volume that should be delivered to avoid sites running dry. I, however, had to leave this job to pursue an opportunity to move to Canada.</p>
<h3>Skills and Lifelong Learning</h3>
<p>Throughout my career, I have been committed to continual learning and skill enhancement. I am proficient in Power BI, Power Query, DAX, SQL, Python, and R, and hold several professional certifications, including Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Science Associate and Power BI Data Analyst. These tools and qualifications have been pivotal in allowing me to stay ahead in the fast-evolving field of data analytics.</p>
<h3>New Beginnings in Canada</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3827/0*4nnL8APJ73KlwLT8" width="3827" height="2550" loading="lazy" />
<p>Now, as I make my home in Canada, I am eager to bring my extensive experience and passion for data-driven decision-making to the Canadian market. My goal is to work in environments where innovation is not just encouraged but is a fundamental aspect of the organisational culture. I have this amazing ability to learn quickly and I would love to be in a place that encourages learning and developing their staff.</p>
<p>Canada offers a vibrant landscape for data professionals, and I am excited about the possibilities here. I look forward to leveraging my international experience and unique perspectives to help Canadian businesses thrive through the power of data analytics.</p>
<p>As I continue to navigate this new terrain, I am optimistic about forging connections, embracing challenges, and contributing to a future where data not only informs but also inspires better business.</p>
</section>
|
My Professional Journey So Far
Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash
As I embark on this new chapter of my life in Canada, it’s a great moment to reflect on my journey so far — a path filled with continuous learning, professional development, and meaningful contributions across various industries. My name is Masego Modibane, and I am passionate about harnessing the power of data to create impactful, data-driven solutions.
Academic Foundations and Early Career
My academic journey began at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where I earned my Bachelor’s and Honours degrees in Mathematical Statistics. I was always that child who enjoyed mathematics throughout school, and I thought I would end up being a maths educator. However, when I got to university, I discovered a strong interest in statistics and its applications, leading me to complete an honours degree. This rigorous academic training equipped me with a deep understanding of statistical methods.
I took a break from academia and went to work for PSG Wealth, a financial services company, where I worked as a graduate placed in a junior business analyst role. During my time there, I had the opportunity to document some processes performed by teams in the organisation. I really wanted to leverage data to improve these processes and hence was motivated to study further to obtain the relevant skills to help me do so.
Fascinated by the potential intersection of finance and technology, I pursued a Master of Philosophy specialising in Financial Technology at the University of Cape Town. This degree introduced me to data science techniques, database modelling, data visualisation techniques, financial mathematics, and software development concepts. My time at the University of Cape Town taught me much of what I use in my professional career in data analytics, as well as how to develop dashboards and reports that are visually appealing while conveying insights effectively.
Expanding Horizons in Data Analytics
I started my data analytics career as a Junior Data Scientist at Discovery Health in Johannesburg, where I focused on healthcare data. There, I developed data visualisations to detect fraudulent activities in healthcare claims by turning data into actionable insights that could prevent significant financial losses. This included creating reports that identified if hospitals were abusing the use of consumables, such as syringes and gloves, for certain procedures, detecting upcoding on procedures performed by pathologists to claim more money from the company, and building a tool that consolidated the view of brokers while trying to detect any fraudulent or anomalous activities performed by these brokers. Developing these reports was interesting as I got to work with many stakeholders from different areas of the business and tried to turn a requirement into a visual report utilising my statistics knowledge and data visualisation skills to help our stakeholders catch anomalous activity quicker. I had a lot of freedom to work with different tools including R, Python, Power BI, and SQL. I was very fortunate to have supportive leaders who encouraged innovative solutions.
My next role at Explore AI (now merged with Sand Technologies) saw me diving deeper into the utilities sector, where I was responsible for creating and maintaining Power BI dashboards that visualised asset health across different cohorts in the water and wastewater domains of a UK-based Utilities company. I worked with tools like PySpark and Azure Databricks to hone my skills in data processing and analytics, further affirming my capability to manage and translate large datasets into strategic insights. I also had the privilege of supervising a group of interns through a data science project for our consulting company, as well as managing a junior Power BI Developer in our project. At my time at Explore AI, I learned a lot about my ability to adapt as I had to adapt to a new industry (utilities) and a new way of working (agile). I also learned management skills, communication skills, and that I love teaching or transferring knowledge as much as I can. It was one of the best places I worked at as the agile way of working worked like a well-oiled machine and almost always delivered on our set objectives. Maybe I will create another Medium article on why I think the team setup we had is great for effective data product development.
I have also had the opportunity to join the freelance platform, Upwork. On Upwork, I worked for a B-BBEE Compliance Management software company that required a Power BI specialist to occasionally build and tailor some of their reports according to their requirements for their clients. In this role, I was able to learn about how the B-BBEE system is meant to be implemented in companies throughout South Africa. It also elevated my understanding of Power BI because working in a different industry presented a different kind of reporting requirement.
Most recently, I served as a Functional and Industry Analytics Consultant with Accenture in Johannesburg. In this role, I spearheaded the development of Power BI reports for an Oil and Gas company, enhancing data reporting standards and facilitating more informed business decisions through advanced data visualisations. This was a particularly challenging role because it was the first time I had to take over work instead of being at the beginning of a project. I also came into the project before it went into production, and the proper protocols were not in place as the reports created in development used a subset of the data and not the large dataset that only became available as I joined. Nonetheless, I had to refactor the work done before and ensure that the reports were built to be more sustainable for the size of the data that were feeding into each report. I also got to learn about Power BI Gateways, Power BI licences, and connection between AWS Redshift to a Power BI report. I also used SQL to extract, load, and transform the data. I also had the opportunity to manage and mentor a junior Data Analyst. In my short time here, I still managed to learn a new industry as well as work on multiple cool reports that include providing insights on identifying discrepancies between point-of-sale transactions and what is recorded from the fuel pumps, utilisation of pumps, and if the company needs to reconfigure the forecourt based on utilisation, and providing a look at dry sites and dry tanks to assist with fuel deliveries and volume that should be delivered to avoid sites running dry. I, however, had to leave this job to pursue an opportunity to move to Canada.
Skills and Lifelong Learning
Throughout my career, I have been committed to continual learning and skill enhancement. I am proficient in Power BI, Power Query, DAX, SQL, Python, and R, and hold several professional certifications, including Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Science Associate and Power BI Data Analyst. These tools and qualifications have been pivotal in allowing me to stay ahead in the fast-evolving field of data analytics.
New Beginnings in Canada
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash
Now, as I make my home in Canada, I am eager to bring my extensive experience and passion for data-driven decision-making to the Canadian market. My goal is to work in environments where innovation is not just encouraged but is a fundamental aspect of the organisational culture. I have this amazing ability to learn quickly and I would love to be in a place that encourages learning and developing their staff.
Canada offers a vibrant landscape for data professionals, and I am excited about the possibilities here. I look forward to leveraging my international experience and unique perspectives to help Canadian businesses thrive through the power of data analytics.
As I continue to navigate this new terrain, I am optimistic about forging connections, embracing challenges, and contributing to a future where data not only informs but also inspires better business.
|
e5fb649a-bd19-51b7-b701-5ceea3c0405e
|
25/08/2025 16:02:48
|
https://medium.com/ride-the-pine/can-mario-lopez-stop-ruining-my-maria-menounos-bikini-photos-4846faa1e83f
|
medium.com
|
Can Mario Lopez Stop Ruining My Maria Menounos Bikini Photos?!
| null |
Alex B.
|
https://medium.com/@RTPSports
|
4846faa1e83f
|
2 min
|
2016-12-07T14:58:02.515000
|
2012-02-09T01:56:25
|
2017-08-04T17:14:51.173000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Bleacher Babes,Giants,Maria Menounos,Mario Lopez,Patriots
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/225/0*YdN0vJMjAvusURZs.jpg" width="225" height="300" loading="lazy" />
<p>If you ever heard the name <strong>Maria Menounos</strong>, you probably know two things about her. One, she’s hot. Two, she’s a big New England sports fan.</p>
<p>Menounos who is a host on <em><stro</em>ng>Extra</strong> made a bet with co-host <strong>A.J. Calloway</strong> (who?) that if the <strong>New England Patriots</strong> lost in <strong>Super Bowl 46</strong> against the <strong>New York Giants</strong>, she would wear a tiny Giants bikini in NYC’s Time Square.</p>
<p>Good thing for us that <strong><a href="http:</strong>//ridethepine.com/sports/nfl/super-bowl/gronkowski-dancing/">Rob Gronkowski had better moves on the dance floor than the football field on Super Bowl Sunday</a>, because Menounos had to pay up on her bet and we are all winners…except <strong>Mario Lopez.</strong></p>
<p>Lopez, another <em><stro</em>ng>Extra</strong> host, found a way to pop his head into almost every Menounos photo op. Really Slater, really? We get it, your career has had a magically revival but do us all a favor and give us some one-on-one time with Maria.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/594/0*K7PaRnVNJWQMpWc4.jpg" width="594" height="400" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/468/0*VxfoQ_ck_tpxlzAf.jpg" width="468" height="784" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/635/0*AanjdLRQWELctD74.jpg" width="635" height="434" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/630/0*B-ULE5i3m7VQk8tc.jpg" width="630" height="421" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/319/0*TDwMq2F13qfzmXiY.jpg" width="319" height="480" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/450/0*TzkT6WbRPxBD1LBq.jpg" width="450" height="600" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Can Mario Lopez Stop Ruining My Maria Menounos Bikini Photos?!
If you ever heard the name Maria Menounos, you probably know two things about her. One, she’s hot. Two, she’s a big New England sports fan.
Menounos who is a host on Extra made a bet with co-host A.J. Calloway (who?) that if the New England Patriots lost in Super Bowl 46 against the New York Giants, she would wear a tiny Giants bikini in NYC’s Time Square.
Good thing for us that Rob Gronkowski had better moves on the dance floor than the football field on Super Bowl Sunday, because Menounos had to pay up on her bet and we are all winners…except Mario Lopez.
Lopez, another Extra host, found a way to pop his head into almost every Menounos photo op. Really Slater, really? We get it, your career has had a magically revival but do us all a favor and give us some one-on-one time with Maria.
|
b7759951-8994-5b08-9060-a8a576f97445
|
25/08/2025 16:02:48
|
|
https://medium.com/@iompartners/the-top-4-crm-plugins-for-your-wordpress-site-ace22640c195
|
medium.com
|
The Top 4 CRM Plugins for Your WordPress site
|
Having a firm relationship with the customer is undoubtedly one of the best ways to ensure success for your website. If the customers know…
|
IOM Partners of Houston
|
https://medium.com/@iompartners
|
ace22640c195
| null |
2 min
|
2016-04-15T09:46:17.255000
|
2016-04-15T09:58:46.750000
|
2016-04-15T09:58:46.750000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Web Design Houston
|
<section>
<p>Having a firm relationship with the customer is undoubtedly one of the best ways to ensure success for your website. If the customers know that you are thinking about them, they would think about you too. Now in the online world, where your website is the major tool for communication with your customers, one of the most effective steps that you can take to establish a relationship with your customers is having a CRM system in place. Customer Relationship Management or CRM systems help you to manage customer information more efficiently, which help you to give a better service to your customers.</p>
<p>The WordPress plugin repository has Plugins for almost every function and when it comes to CRM, you do get quite a number of options. Each CRM plugin have their advantages and disadvantages. So which plugin should you choose? Well, in this post we would be looking at the some of the best CRM plugins out there so that you get an idea which plugin would work best for you.</p>
<p>So, let’s begin shall we?</p>
<p>1. WP-CRM — WP-CRM is one of the best CRM plugins for WordPress sites today. It extends into the user management system which is built-in your WordPress site. One of the biggest features of this plugin is that it allows you to add customer meta-data. You can filter customers according to the attributes that you add. It also comes with easy-to-use forms that you can add anywhere on your site.</p>
<p>2. UPiCRM — It is said that the best things in the world are free and UPiCRM is one such plugin which is best and free! UpiCRM works well with your WordPress Contact Forms Plugin to manage your leads and capture them. It also comes with an efficient user management system that allows you to group customer contacts, assign leads, send emails and carry out a lot of other activities with ease.</p>
<p>3. UkuuPeople — UkuuPeople is another useful plugin that helps you in better CMS management. It helps you add customer contacts in one master list and then group them into ‘tribes’ for more efficient targeting. You can also initiate contact at various touchpoints. You can add team members, assign them tasks and schedule them tasks.</p>
<p>4. PressPoint CRM — PressPoint is a paid plugin which comes with a load of features such as ecommerce, opportunity management and a whole lot more. You can also create unique profiles for each user if required. Other features include content restrictions and customer directories.</p>
<p>You can take the help of a professional WordPress website design company. Houstonians can take the help of a professional <a href="http://iomhouston.com">Houston Web Design</a> Company like IOM Partners of Houston, as they are regarded as experts in WordPress web design and development. If you are looking to get the best plugins for your site, then they would use their expertise to help you choose the best one that would work perfectly for your site. So, take the help of the leading names in the field of Web Design Houston and create a website that helps you to establish a relation with your valued customers.</p>
</section>
|
The Top 4 CRM Plugins for Your WordPress site
Having a firm relationship with the customer is undoubtedly one of the best ways to ensure success for your website. If the customers know that you are thinking about them, they would think about you too. Now in the online world, where your website is the major tool for communication with your customers, one of the most effective steps that you can take to establish a relationship with your customers is having a CRM system in place. Customer Relationship Management or CRM systems help you to manage customer information more efficiently, which help you to give a better service to your customers.
The WordPress plugin repository has Plugins for almost every function and when it comes to CRM, you do get quite a number of options. Each CRM plugin have their advantages and disadvantages. So which plugin should you choose? Well, in this post we would be looking at the some of the best CRM plugins out there so that you get an idea which plugin would work best for you.
So, let’s begin shall we?
1. WP-CRM — WP-CRM is one of the best CRM plugins for WordPress sites today. It extends into the user management system which is built-in your WordPress site. One of the biggest features of this plugin is that it allows you to add customer meta-data. You can filter customers according to the attributes that you add. It also comes with easy-to-use forms that you can add anywhere on your site.
2. UPiCRM — It is said that the best things in the world are free and UPiCRM is one such plugin which is best and free! UpiCRM works well with your WordPress Contact Forms Plugin to manage your leads and capture them. It also comes with an efficient user management system that allows you to group customer contacts, assign leads, send emails and carry out a lot of other activities with ease.
3. UkuuPeople — UkuuPeople is another useful plugin that helps you in better CMS management. It helps you add customer contacts in one master list and then group them into ‘tribes’ for more efficient targeting. You can also initiate contact at various touchpoints. You can add team members, assign them tasks and schedule them tasks.
4. PressPoint CRM — PressPoint is a paid plugin which comes with a load of features such as ecommerce, opportunity management and a whole lot more. You can also create unique profiles for each user if required. Other features include content restrictions and customer directories.
You can take the help of a professional WordPress website design company. Houstonians can take the help of a professional Houston Web Design Company like IOM Partners of Houston, as they are regarded as experts in WordPress web design and development. If you are looking to get the best plugins for your site, then they would use their expertise to help you choose the best one that would work perfectly for your site. So, take the help of the leading names in the field of Web Design Houston and create a website that helps you to establish a relation with your valued customers.
|
fbb015af-715e-530f-abf5-20c0986d75cd
|
25/08/2025 16:02:48
|
https://medium.com/okomo-blog/customer-feedback-the-reason-why-it-is-important-baf61e86edee
|
medium.com
|
Customer Feedback: the reason why it is important
|
Companies generally have an idea of their performances through a series of tools that keep them informed on how business is going. Reports…
|
Okomo
|
https://medium.com/@okomo_stories
|
baf61e86edee
|
3 min
|
2019-08-30T10:54:54.734000
|
2019-09-02T08:01:01.017000
|
2021-12-11T14:48:56.692000
| 0 | 3 |
en
|
Marketing,Communication,Customer Success,Customer Experience,Customer Service
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5045/1*aGp5GPl_QPiz3OEx101Fcw.jpeg" width="5045" height="3363" loading="lazy" />
<p>Companies generally have an idea of their performances through a series of tools that keep them informed on how business is going. Reports and metrics, for example, are commonly used as a measurement for processes within a specific team or department and, from them, the company receives feedback and learns about the effectiveness of its efforts, defines points of action, priorities, discovers changes that need to be done and points that need improvement. But confining the learning process of how your company is performing on just numbers and statistics is enough?</p>
<p>Off course the numbers and charts are meaningful and they can give you a good insight on how everything is going and they can also be useful and insightful on teams’ performance, but it is important that you do not forget to learn directly from the source: your customers.</p>
<p>Customers’ feedback is crucial when it comes to marketing stakes. Nowadays, when thinking of buying a product, or engage with a service, <a href="https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/#local-business-review-habits">91% of customers affirm that they trust other customers reviews as if it was a personal recommendation.</a> Each day people become more aware of marketing techniques and they will not trust your product description saying your company offers the best deal or your product is the right choice for them: they want to hear it from other people, their peers, and they will trust on what they have to say.</p>
<p>That is why customers’ feedback is so important, and better than metrics or sales reports, can give you an honest and transparent insight on how your business is doing: “Are your products good?”; “How is your customer support team performing?”; “What can your company improve?”, the answer to these questions is on the voice of you customers, you just have to listen to them.</p>
<p><a href="https://business.critizr.com/en/blog/why-is-customer-feedback-important-for-marketing-purposes">By listening to your customers, you are giving yourself an opportunity to understand their expectations, monitor any changes, and track their satisfaction. Your customer is your best resource when developing your strategy.</a></p>
<p>There are many ways to get the information that you need. You can set up surveys asking about specific matters on your service, you can add a commentary box on your products and let customers evaluate them, but don’t forget: nothing will make your company understand the customer’s needs, disappointments or expectations <a href="https://medium.com/okomo-blog/5-reasons-your-company-should-start-interacting-more-directly-with-your-online-customers-7c837e63b850">better than a direct channel of communication to them.</a></p>
<p>Email or contact formularies may not be the answer. In truth, customers may feel frustrated when trying to contact you company and the only way they can do it is leaving a message that they don’t know if or when they will get an answer. So, be open to them<a href="okomo.com">. Okomo</a>, for example, is a Real Time Communication widget that you can easily integrate on your website and other digital platforms, and allows customers to contact the right person inside your company to help them. No more lost time on the phone hearing generic music on loop and the constant message “I will transfer the call” after your customer has explained for the 10th time what is the problem or concern. <a href="https://okomo.com/funktionen/">Okomo allows the person who wants to reach out to your company to choose in the filters if they want to talk with someone from sales or IT</a>.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Simple as that. The customer’s feedback will be heard more easily because it is being channelled to the right department: if they have a problem with the software, this information will not be lost because they talked with someone insightful.</p>
<p>You have the opportunity to really listen to your customers or clients, to pay attention to hat they have to say and from that make your company improve, your business boost and achieve greatness on your field. Customers that feel listened will perceive that you company or brand is trustworthy, thus they will stay and continue to use your services and buy your products. Find out more about Okomo can help you enhance communication with your customers and prospects and all the other features that we have to offer and can help your business. <a href="https://okomo-user.azurewebsites.net/home?id=4377b665-45d7-4682-b8fd-20c54b392d6c">Don’t be shy and reach out if you have any question, we would love to hear from you!</a></p>
</section>
|
Customer’s Feedback: the reason why it is important
Companies generally have an idea of their performances through a series of tools that keep them informed on how business is going. Reports and metrics, for example, are commonly used as a measurement for processes within a specific team or department and, from them, the company receives feedback and learns about the effectiveness of its efforts, defines points of action, priorities, discovers changes that need to be done and points that need improvement. But confining the learning process of how your company is performing on just numbers and statistics is enough?
Off course the numbers and charts are meaningful and they can give you a good insight on how everything is going and they can also be useful and insightful on teams’ performance, but it is important that you do not forget to learn directly from the source: your customers.
Customers’ feedback is crucial when it comes to marketing stakes. Nowadays, when thinking of buying a product, or engage with a service, 91% of customers affirm that they trust other customers reviews as if it was a personal recommendation. Each day people become more aware of marketing techniques and they will not trust your product description saying your company offers the best deal or your product is the right choice for them: they want to hear it from other people, their peers, and they will trust on what they have to say.
That is why customers’ feedback is so important, and better than metrics or sales reports, can give you an honest and transparent insight on how your business is doing: “Are your products good?”; “How is your customer support team performing?”; “What can your company improve?”, the answer to these questions is on the voice of you customers, you just have to listen to them.
By listening to your customers, you are giving yourself an opportunity to understand their expectations, monitor any changes, and track their satisfaction. Your customer is your best resource when developing your strategy.
There are many ways to get the information that you need. You can set up surveys asking about specific matters on your service, you can add a commentary box on your products and let customers evaluate them, but don’t forget: nothing will make your company understand the customer’s needs, disappointments or expectations better than a direct channel of communication to them.
Email or contact formularies may not be the answer. In truth, customers may feel frustrated when trying to contact you company and the only way they can do it is leaving a message that they don’t know if or when they will get an answer. So, be open to them. Okomo, for example, is a Real Time Communication widget that you can easily integrate on your website and other digital platforms, and allows customers to contact the right person inside your company to help them. No more lost time on the phone hearing generic music on loop and the constant message “I will transfer the call” after your customer has explained for the 10th time what is the problem or concern. Okomo allows the person who wants to reach out to your company to choose in the filters if they want to talk with someone from sales or IT.
Simple as that. The customer’s feedback will be heard more easily because it is being channelled to the right department: if they have a problem with the software, this information will not be lost because they talked with someone insightful.
You have the opportunity to really listen to your customers or clients, to pay attention to hat they have to say and from that make your company improve, your business boost and achieve greatness on your field. Customers that feel listened will perceive that you company or brand is trustworthy, thus they will stay and continue to use your services and buy your products. Find out more about Okomo can help you enhance communication with your customers and prospects and all the other features that we have to offer and can help your business. Don’t be shy and reach out if you have any question, we would love to hear from you!
|
0827cc00-52b2-50a0-bb45-e93b44a317ee
|
25/08/2025 16:02:49
|
|
https://medium.com/facebot/integrating-ai-tools-with-your-crm-and-marketing-systems-c8de2f0592e1
|
medium.com
|
Integrating AI Tools with your CRM and Marketing Systems
|
Introduction:
|
Arunkumar Krishnan
|
https://medium.com/@arunk2
|
c8de2f0592e1
|
3 min
|
2025-07-22T05:47:54.707000
|
2025-07-22T06:37:23.148000
|
2025-07-22T07:29:52.511000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Ai Tools For Business,Ai Integration,Ai Sales Assistant,Ai Marketing
|
<section>
<h1>Introduction:</h1>
<p>AI is transforming every industry and lead generation is no exception, especially we see great results in different areas of sales automation and customer acquisition. In this post we will explore how businesses can successfully integrate AI lead generation tools with their existing CRM and marketing automation systems.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/1*xdzVw4PLjCirInFtkvQ-WA.png" width="1024" height="1024" loading="lazy" />
<p>Let us explore how organizations can strategically integrate these tools with their existing systems.</p>
<h3>Why should we Integrate? Can’t they work independently?</h3>
<p>The most successful AI lead generation implementations create unified, intelligent ecosystems rather than isolated tool deployments. Organizations that rush into AI without proper integration often find themselves with sophisticated technology that fails to deliver meaningful business outcomes.</p>
<h2>Integration — Tech details:</h2>
<p>We need to start with a clear Objective/Goal and define metrics to measure success. Then document various options available to us for integration like APIs, native connectors, and automation capabilities within existing CRM and marketing automation platforms.</p>
<h3><strong>Step 1: Set Clear Objective/Goal:</strong></h3>
<p>Typically<strong> </strong>organizations focus on specific outcomes like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Improve lead scoring accuracy by incorporating behavioral data, social engagement signals</li>
<li>Automate initial outreach and qualification based on AI tools</li>
<li>Enrich lead data with missing data and contact information</li>
<li>Automate intelligent lead routing based on AI-generated scores and industry classifications</li>
</ul>
<h3>Step 2: Explore integration in yourCRM/Marketing System:</h3>
<p><strong>CRM Integrations:</strong> Modern CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, along with marketing automation platforms like Pardot, Marketo, and HubSpot Marketing Hub, offer direct integrations with popular AI lead generation tools. These native integrations provide the easiest setup path, relying on pre-built connectors.</p>
<p><strong>Custom Integrations</strong>: Other web based sales/marketing systems typically offer RESTful APIs to allow developers to programmatically interact with the platforms — creating, reading, updating, and deleting records using HTTP methods in JSON or XML format.</p>
<p><strong>Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS):</strong> tools like Zapier, Workato, and Tray.io provide excellent middle-ground solutions, offering low-code/no-code approaches to connect disparate systems without extensive development.</p>
<h3>Step 3: <strong>AI Tool Selection:</strong></h3>
<p>It is very important to do research on various AI lead generation tools that align with your specific goals and integrate. They fall in one of the below:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Predictive Lead Scoring Tools:</strong> Platforms like MadKudu and Infer analyze historical data to assign likelihood-to-convert scores</li>
<li><strong>Intent Data Platforms:</strong> Services like Bombora and ZoomInfo Intent identify companies showing interest based on online behavior</li>
<li><strong>AI-Powered Conversational Tools:</strong> Platforms like Facebot, Drift and Qualified engage website visitors and qualify prospects automatically</li>
</ul>
<h3>Step 4: Data Architecture and Field Mapping</h3>
<p>Integration requires meticulous data field mapping to ensure seamless information flow between systems. For this create a detailed documentation for mapping data fields from AI tools to CRM systems. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>AI Tool Field: first_name -> Salesforce Field: FirstName</li>
<li>AI Tool Field: last_name -> Salesforce Field: LastName</li>
<li>AI Tool Field: company_name → Salesforce Field: Account Name</li>
<li>AI Tool Field: lead_score → Salesforce Field: AI_Lead_Score__c (Custom Field)</li>
<li>AI Tool Field: intent_topic → Salesforce Field: Intent_Topic__c (Custom Field)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Note: </strong>Ensure data types match between systems and define transformation rules for format differences. Identify mandatory fields in your CRM and establish unique identifiers to prevent duplicate record creation.</p>
<h3>Step 5: Implementation and Testing</h3>
<p><strong>Be Agile: </strong>Start with limited integration scope or small lead subsets to identify and resolve issues before full deployment. This controlled approach enables assumption testing, performance data gathering, and process refinement.</p>
<ul>
<li>For native connectors, follow vendor documentation for system authentication and data point selection.</li>
<li>For iPaaS solutions, configure trigger apps (AI tools) and action apps (CRMs) with careful field mapping.</li>
<li>For Custom API integrations — we require developer expertise to handle authentication, data parsing, and error responses.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Testing Framework:</strong> Create dummy leads in AI tools and observe their journey through CRM systems. Verify field population accuracy, lead scoring updates, and automation rule triggers. Test edge cases including missing data and duplicate lead scenarios.</p>
<h3>Step 6: Team Adoption:</h3>
<p>Come-up with a clear training plan and prepare documentation on leveraging AI power within daily CRM workflows. Emphasize how AI reduces manual work, improves lead quality, and ultimately helps close more deals.</p>
<p><strong>Is it a threat to our job? </strong>Address concerns about job displacement by framing AI as an intelligent assistant that enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them.</p>
<p><strong>Feedback Integration:</strong> Establish channels for sales and marketing teams to provide feedback on AI performance and integration effectiveness.</p>
<h3>Step 6: Performance Monitoring and Optimization:</h3>
<p>Create custom reports in CRM systems to track AI-generated lead performance, including conversion rates, qualification accuracy, and time-to-convert metrics.</p>
<h2>Risks and Mitigations</h2>
<h3><strong>API Performance Optimization:</strong></h3>
<p>Be mindful of API call limits imposed by CRM and AI tools, especially for large data volumes. Optimize integration logic to avoid hitting these limits while maintaining system performance.</p>
<h3><strong>Security and Compliance:</strong></h3>
<p>Ensure secure API authentication and data encryption. Verify that chosen tools and integration methods comply with data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Integrating AI lead generation tools with CRM and/or marketing systems represents a strategic initiative rather than a luxury in today’s competitive landscape. Organizations that build connected, intelligent lead generation ecosystems empower their teams, enhance customer experiences, and unlock unprecedented growth opportunities.</p>
</section>
|
Integrating AI Tools with your CRM and Marketing Systems
Introduction:
AI is transforming every industry and lead generation is no exception, especially we see great results in different areas of sales automation and customer acquisition. In this post we will explore how businesses can successfully integrate AI lead generation tools with their existing CRM and marketing automation systems.
AI Integration
Let us explore how organizations can strategically integrate these tools with their existing systems.
Why should we Integrate? Can’t they work independently?
The most successful AI lead generation implementations create unified, intelligent ecosystems rather than isolated tool deployments. Organizations that rush into AI without proper integration often find themselves with sophisticated technology that fails to deliver meaningful business outcomes.
Integration — Tech details:
We need to start with a clear Objective/Goal and define metrics to measure success. Then document various options available to us for integration like APIs, native connectors, and automation capabilities within existing CRM and marketing automation platforms.
Step 1: Set Clear Objective/Goal:
Typically organizations focus on specific outcomes like:
Improve lead scoring accuracy by incorporating behavioral data, social engagement signals
Automate initial outreach and qualification based on AI tools
Enrich lead data with missing data and contact information
Automate intelligent lead routing based on AI-generated scores and industry classifications
Step 2: Explore integration in yourCRM/Marketing System:
CRM Integrations: Modern CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, along with marketing automation platforms like Pardot, Marketo, and HubSpot Marketing Hub, offer direct integrations with popular AI lead generation tools. These native integrations provide the easiest setup path, relying on pre-built connectors.
Custom Integrations: Other web based sales/marketing systems typically offer RESTful APIs to allow developers to programmatically interact with the platforms — creating, reading, updating, and deleting records using HTTP methods in JSON or XML format.
Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS): tools like Zapier, Workato, and Tray.io provide excellent middle-ground solutions, offering low-code/no-code approaches to connect disparate systems without extensive development.
Step 3: AI Tool Selection:
It is very important to do research on various AI lead generation tools that align with your specific goals and integrate. They fall in one of the below:
Predictive Lead Scoring Tools: Platforms like MadKudu and Infer analyze historical data to assign likelihood-to-convert scores
Intent Data Platforms: Services like Bombora and ZoomInfo Intent identify companies showing interest based on online behavior
AI-Powered Conversational Tools: Platforms like Facebot, Drift and Qualified engage website visitors and qualify prospects automatically
Step 4: Data Architecture and Field Mapping
Integration requires meticulous data field mapping to ensure seamless information flow between systems. For this create a detailed documentation for mapping data fields from AI tools to CRM systems. For example:
AI Tool Field: first_name -> Salesforce Field: FirstName
AI Tool Field: last_name -> Salesforce Field: LastName
AI Tool Field: company_name → Salesforce Field: Account Name
AI Tool Field: lead_score → Salesforce Field: AI_Lead_Score__c (Custom Field)
AI Tool Field: intent_topic → Salesforce Field: Intent_Topic__c (Custom Field)
Note: Ensure data types match between systems and define transformation rules for format differences. Identify mandatory fields in your CRM and establish unique identifiers to prevent duplicate record creation.
Step 5: Implementation and Testing
Be Agile: Start with limited integration scope or small lead subsets to identify and resolve issues before full deployment. This controlled approach enables assumption testing, performance data gathering, and process refinement.
For native connectors, follow vendor documentation for system authentication and data point selection.
For iPaaS solutions, configure trigger apps (AI tools) and action apps (CRMs) with careful field mapping.
For Custom API integrations — we require developer expertise to handle authentication, data parsing, and error responses.
Testing Framework: Create dummy leads in AI tools and observe their journey through CRM systems. Verify field population accuracy, lead scoring updates, and automation rule triggers. Test edge cases including missing data and duplicate lead scenarios.
Step 6: Team Adoption:
Come-up with a clear training plan and prepare documentation on leveraging AI power within daily CRM workflows. Emphasize how AI reduces manual work, improves lead quality, and ultimately helps close more deals.
Is it a threat to our job? Address concerns about job displacement by framing AI as an intelligent assistant that enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them.
Feedback Integration: Establish channels for sales and marketing teams to provide feedback on AI performance and integration effectiveness.
Step 6: Performance Monitoring and Optimization:
Create custom reports in CRM systems to track AI-generated lead performance, including conversion rates, qualification accuracy, and time-to-convert metrics.
Risks and Mitigations
API Performance Optimization:
Be mindful of API call limits imposed by CRM and AI tools, especially for large data volumes. Optimize integration logic to avoid hitting these limits while maintaining system performance.
Security and Compliance:
Ensure secure API authentication and data encryption. Verify that chosen tools and integration methods comply with data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
Conclusion
Integrating AI lead generation tools with CRM and/or marketing systems represents a strategic initiative rather than a luxury in today’s competitive landscape. Organizations that build connected, intelligent lead generation ecosystems empower their teams, enhance customer experiences, and unlock unprecedented growth opportunities.
|
6b138909-565f-51f5-81ab-19ec89d37b5d
|
25/08/2025 16:02:49
|
|
https://medium.stockflare.com/famous-people-and-their-stock-equivalents-d1fbab724685
|
medium.com
|
Famous people and their stock equivalents
|
In the world of investing some stocks are discussed a lot more than others. It’s no different to popular culture where some celebrities…
|
Melissa Adams
|
https://medium.com/@melissa.adams_56296
|
d1fbab724685
|
4 min
|
2019-01-20T20:56:49.685000
|
2019-01-25T11:36:06.656000
|
2021-12-07T08:10:02.030000
| 0 | 50 |
en
|
Music,Stock Market,Entertainment,Celebrity,Humor
|
<section>
<p>In the world of investing <strong><a href="htt</strong>ps://medium.stockflare.com/four-stocks-we-are-watching-this-reporting-season-b8a017caa685">some stocks</a> are discussed a lot more than others. It’s no different to popular culture where some celebrities are a more pressing topic than others.</p>
<p>We had fun in the office making both worlds meet and discussed which stocks would best represent a celebrity of today.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Have a read below and let us know if you think we hit the nail on the head.</p>
<p><strong>Taylor Swift</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/620/1*lT2oVm36di9tAc4Ba_4CDg.jpeg" width="620" height="330" loading="lazy" />
<p>Taylor Swift has comfortably made her position as one of the top recording artists in the world right now. According to Billboard, the 29 year old singer-songwriter earned $45 million in her Reputation Tour and by the end of the tour it’s expected to surpass $400 million.</p>
<p>In 2019, experts are keen to see what Apple (APPL) have in store for us. Apple are a tech giant and they continue to grow year after year. There are a number of exciting products being released by Apple including their modular Mac Pro for its professional user base and a new TV service that’s expected to come out this year.</p>
<p><strong>Donald Trump</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1096/1*gTgJPk6PVO6aRp-H4WqESw.jpeg" width="1096" height="616" loading="lazy" />
<p>Trump’s job approval as President remains low and hit its lowest in a year. A number of polls revealed Trump had just 34 percent of respondents say they approve of his job as president. He’s certainly not the most loved President that’s served in America.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Equally, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares didn’t look great last summer. Following a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model X, both traders and shareholders felt hesitant to make any movements towards the popular stock.</p>
<p>However, like Trump, despite the controversy and disdain, Telsa still have a loyal fan base; Telsa have many other lucrative businesses so always expect another trick up their sleeves.</p>
<p><strong>Kim Kardashian</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/820/1*MmD9ahHmoP3H9jbGY5_xAw.jpeg" width="820" height="492" loading="lazy" />
<p>Kim Kardashian is well known for her relationships with other celebrities including her current partner and husband, Kanye West. Kim has a successful cosmetics business and is also well known for her body; her fans have watched Kim change her looks over the years, so it’s a shame we didn’t get to see her #10YearChallenge…</p>
<p></p>
<p>There’s no denying that Kim Kardashian is unmissable online and her 125 million followers on Instagram can’t get enough of her posts. Similarly, Intel Corporation ( INTC.O) are an organisation that traders are talking about.</p>
<p>Responsible for designing and manufacturing technologies such as The Cloud, Intel Corp. increased 14% to $52.19B for the 39 weeks ended 29 September 2018.</p>
<p>Intel Corp. have a market value of $211,496m and according to Forbes, Kim Kardashian West was worth $350m in 2018. Part of this fortune is thanks to her makeup brand KKW Beauty of which she owns 100% of the business.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1280/1*vtk2kzWMG9vi8ZypBePiiA.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" />
<p>But that’s not enough for Kim Kardashian or Intel Corporation; Kim Kardashian’s successful “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” TV show is making a return this year and Intel Corporation are rumored to be opening up a factory in Oregon to build new and unseen technology…</p>
<p><strong>Travis Scott</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1140/1*ILWOgZiWtapdFDPR3xKeDw.jpeg" width="1140" height="726" loading="lazy" />
<p>Travis Scott’s net worth in 2018 was estimated to be $8 million from his music alone and he is confirmed to be performing at this year’s NFL Superbowl.</p>
<p>As you can imagine, his price is about to go up.</p>
<p></p>
<p>For the nine months ended 30 September 2018, Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (ADR) revenues increased 6% to NT$741.7B. The company who manufacture, sell, package and test tech devices have a market value of $187,023m. Although not close to Scott’s Net Worth, it’s estimated he will earn at least £10mil from his superbowl performance and that doesn’t include the increase of music downloads he’ll see after performing to an estimated 120 million people.</p>
<p><strong>Cardi B</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/1*1h59v4mYG7IZJGSwBcszvA.jpeg" width="1024" height="759" loading="lazy" />
<p>In 2017, Cardi B was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the anthem that made her, “Bodak Yellow”. Cardi B has very loyal fans, often referred to as “Bardi Gang” with jokes made about Cardi B being the new music drug fix that they needed. Speaking of drugs, American pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. revenues increased 5% to $31.3B and boast a market value of $190,348m. With new products coming out this year they’re a stock that investors will be keeping an eye on. Similarly, Cardi B’s marriage with fellow music artist Offset from Migos has increased her revenue due to tours, more exposure online and music collaborations.</p>
<p>Can you think of any other celebrities and their “stock equivalent”? Comment below and let us know.</p>
<p><em><strong>Comment below and tweet us <a href="https://twitter.com/stockflare">@Stockflare</a> and check out our a</em>nalytics</strong> on any stock in the world at <a href="https://stockflare.com">stockflare.com</a>.</p>
<p>Stockflare Analytics is part of the Cpay Group, one of Europe’s leading digital currency businesses. Visit us at <a href="https://cryptopay.me">cryptopay.me</a>.</p>
<p>Stockflare is an information service provided on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. We do not provide advice and do not make recommendations. We are a research tool for self-directed investors.</p>
<p>Please remember that investing involves risk and investments may lose value, i.e. you will lose money on some of your investments.</p>
</section>
|
Famous people and their stock equivalents
In the world of investing some stocks are discussed a lot more than others. It’s no different to popular culture where some celebrities are a more pressing topic than others.
We had fun in the office making both worlds meet and discussed which stocks would best represent a celebrity of today.
Have a read below and let us know if you think we hit the nail on the head.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has comfortably made her position as one of the top recording artists in the world right now. According to Billboard, the 29 year old singer-songwriter earned $45 million in her Reputation Tour and by the end of the tour it’s expected to surpass $400 million.
In 2019, experts are keen to see what Apple (APPL) have in store for us. Apple are a tech giant and they continue to grow year after year. There are a number of exciting products being released by Apple including their modular Mac Pro for its professional user base and a new TV service that’s expected to come out this year.
Donald Trump
Trump’s job approval as President remains low and hit its lowest in a year. A number of polls revealed Trump had just 34 percent of respondents say they approve of his job as president. He’s certainly not the most loved President that’s served in America.
Equally, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares didn’t look great last summer. Following a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model X, both traders and shareholders felt hesitant to make any movements towards the popular stock.
However, like Trump, despite the controversy and disdain, Telsa still have a loyal fan base; Telsa have many other lucrative businesses so always expect another trick up their sleeves.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian is well known for her relationships with other celebrities including her current partner and husband, Kanye West. Kim has a successful cosmetics business and is also well known for her body; her fans have watched Kim change her looks over the years, so it’s a shame we didn’t get to see her #10YearChallenge…
There’s no denying that Kim Kardashian is unmissable online and her 125 million followers on Instagram can’t get enough of her posts. Similarly, Intel Corporation ( INTC.O) are an organisation that traders are talking about.
Responsible for designing and manufacturing technologies such as The Cloud, Intel Corp. increased 14% to $52.19B for the 39 weeks ended 29 September 2018.
Intel Corp. have a market value of $211,496m and according to Forbes, Kim Kardashian West was worth $350m in 2018. Part of this fortune is thanks to her makeup brand KKW Beauty of which she owns 100% of the business.
But that’s not enough for Kim Kardashian or Intel Corporation; Kim Kardashian’s successful “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” TV show is making a return this year and Intel Corporation are rumored to be opening up a factory in Oregon to build new and unseen technology…
Travis Scott
Travis Scott’s net worth in 2018 was estimated to be $8 million from his music alone and he is confirmed to be performing at this year’s NFL Superbowl.
As you can imagine, his price is about to go up.
For the nine months ended 30 September 2018, Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (ADR) revenues increased 6% to NT$741.7B. The company who manufacture, sell, package and test tech devices have a market value of $187,023m. Although not close to Scott’s Net Worth, it’s estimated he will earn at least £10mil from his superbowl performance and that doesn’t include the increase of music downloads he’ll see after performing to an estimated 120 million people.
Cardi B
In 2017, Cardi B was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the anthem that made her, “Bodak Yellow”. Cardi B has very loyal fans, often referred to as “Bardi Gang” with jokes made about Cardi B being the new music drug fix that they needed. Speaking of drugs, American pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. revenues increased 5% to $31.3B and boast a market value of $190,348m. With new products coming out this year they’re a stock that investors will be keeping an eye on. Similarly, Cardi B’s marriage with fellow music artist Offset from Migos has increased her revenue due to tours, more exposure online and music collaborations.
Can you think of any other celebrities and their “stock equivalent”? Comment below and let us know.
Comment below and tweet us @Stockflare and check out our analytics on any stock in the world at stockflare.com.
Stockflare Analytics is part of the Cpay Group, one of Europe’s leading digital currency businesses. Visit us at cryptopay.me.
Stockflare is an information service provided on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. We do not provide advice and do not make recommendations. We are a research tool for self-directed investors.
Please remember that investing involves risk and investments may lose value, i.e. you will lose money on some of your investments.
|
be71f155-cf1f-5d51-87ea-483f9dac8b94
|
25/08/2025 16:02:49
|
|
https://medium.com/@feliciavgaddisllc/celebrating-james-baldwin-5304d737426c
|
medium.com
|
Celebrating James Baldwin
|
This past February l, I attended “Celebrating James Baldwin, Here and Now” at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles to commemorate…
|
Felicia Gaddis
|
https://medium.com/@feliciavgaddisllc
|
5304d737426c
| https://miro.medium.com/…[email protected]
|
3 min
|
2018-08-22T21:26:05.947000
|
2018-08-22T21:40:30.903000
|
2018-08-22T21:41:07.619000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
BlackLivesMatter,Black History,Black Writers,James Baldwin,Violence
|
<section>
<p>Celebrating James Baldwin</p>
<p>This past February l, I attended “Celebrating James Baldwin, Here and Now” at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles to commemorate the life and work of this great American author.</p>
<p>The event, held in honor of Black History Month, was a wonderful afternoon of readings and discussion of James Baldwin’s work, with acclaimed actor, producer and political activist Alfre Woodard, Los Angeles Poet Laureate and National Book Award winner Robin Coste Lewis and a performance of Baldwin’s work by singer, actor, Jussie Smollett.</p>
<p>Although Woodard, Lewis and Smollett were great to see in person, all of whom I admire for their tremendous talent, what stirred me the most is that the afternoon was a celebration of the Baldwin’s heart, his willingness to lay bare his soul and discuss what few were willing to discuss, and to speak truths that white Anglo-Saxon Protestant America didn’t want to hear then, and many don’t want to hear today.</p>
<p>What’s disturbing about Baldwin’s work, is that the same social issues that he wrote about 40 years ago, exist today. Even with affirmative action, the civil rights movement of the 1960's and 1970's and the proliferation of Black Hollywood, life in urban American for African Americans hasn’t really improved, and in many cases it’s gotten worse.</p>
<p>The Compton of 1964 that writer and panelist Robin Coste Lewis was born into was a tight-knit, working and middle class community. Lewis speaks proudly of the fact that her father was a janitor, who “moved up” to being a forklift operator, and this was not an uncommon story in 1960's Black America, but it has become less common.</p>
<p>After the Watts Riots in 1965, most of the middle class Blacks in Compton moved and went to either Ladera Heights or Inglewood and by the time Lewis was 17 in 1981, Compton was a very different place.</p>
<p>According to the Uniform Crime Reports of Compton Police and Index, which cataloged crime in the city of Compton in 5 year intervals, in 1980 there were 56 murders in Compton, most of which were gang related. At that time, Compton had a population of 79,261. The national murder/manslaughter rate per 100,000 inhabitants for that same year, was 10.2. Compton’s murder rate was more than 5 times national rate.</p>
<p>By 1988, Compton had changed so much that groups like NWA put Compton on the map for being the murder capital of the U.S.</p>
<p>Although these statistics are striking, this proliferation of violence happened in urban areas all across the United States, where the vast majority of people of color live and is do in large part to the epidemic of gangs and drugs in urban America.</p>
<p>Ultimately, Lewis left Compton, California and the west coast altogether at the age of 17, to escape an environment that had been deformed by a gang and drug culture that stressed fitting in with their standards. A culture defined by the “drive by”. Where being different, (i.e., intellectual, articulate, a nerd/geek) could get you beat up or worse, killed… and this brings me back to James Baldwin.</p>
<p>Although there has been some improvement, the gang and drug culture of the 1980's and 1990's is still prevalent today and it makes me wonder how many young, sensitive, articulate and intelligent individuals, who cultivate the “interior life” or life of the mind, who contemplate “Anna Karina” and yearn to be around others of like mind in safety, have we lost? Young men and women who were not violent, who didn’t want to have to concern themselves with whether or not they wore red or blue when they left the house and who God created to stand out — for their brilliance and there compassion — for NOT being “hard”.</p>
<p>So for me, the racism that James Baldwin writes about so poignantly, that still exists today, isn’t nearly as damaging to African Americans as what we do to ourselves.</p>
</section>
|
Me with poet Robin Coste Lewis
Celebrating James Baldwin
This past February l, I attended “Celebrating James Baldwin, Here and Now” at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles to commemorate the life and work of this great American author.
The event, held in honor of Black History Month, was a wonderful afternoon of readings and discussion of James Baldwin’s work, with acclaimed actor, producer and political activist Alfre Woodard, Los Angeles Poet Laureate and National Book Award winner Robin Coste Lewis and a performance of Baldwin’s work by singer, actor, Jussie Smollett.
Although Woodard, Lewis and Smollett were great to see in person, all of whom I admire for their tremendous talent, what stirred me the most is that the afternoon was a celebration of the Baldwin’s heart, his willingness to lay bare his soul and discuss what few were willing to discuss, and to speak truths that white Anglo-Saxon Protestant America didn’t want to hear then, and many don’t want to hear today.
What’s disturbing about Baldwin’s work, is that the same social issues that he wrote about 40 years ago, exist today. Even with affirmative action, the civil rights movement of the 1960's and 1970's and the proliferation of Black Hollywood, life in urban American for African Americans hasn’t really improved, and in many cases it’s gotten worse.
The Compton of 1964 that writer and panelist Robin Coste Lewis was born into was a tight-knit, working and middle class community. Lewis speaks proudly of the fact that her father was a janitor, who “moved up” to being a forklift operator, and this was not an uncommon story in 1960's Black America, but it has become less common.
After the Watts Riots in 1965, most of the middle class Blacks in Compton moved and went to either Ladera Heights or Inglewood and by the time Lewis was 17 in 1981, Compton was a very different place.
According to the Uniform Crime Reports of Compton Police and Index, which cataloged crime in the city of Compton in 5 year intervals, in 1980 there were 56 murders in Compton, most of which were gang related. At that time, Compton had a population of 79,261. The national murder/manslaughter rate per 100,000 inhabitants for that same year, was 10.2. Compton’s murder rate was more than 5 times national rate.
By 1988, Compton had changed so much that groups like NWA put Compton on the map for being the murder capital of the U.S.
Although these statistics are striking, this proliferation of violence happened in urban areas all across the United States, where the vast majority of people of color live and is do in large part to the epidemic of gangs and drugs in urban America.
Ultimately, Lewis left Compton, California and the west coast altogether at the age of 17, to escape an environment that had been deformed by a gang and drug culture that stressed fitting in with their standards. A culture defined by the “drive by”. Where being different, (i.e., intellectual, articulate, a nerd/geek) could get you beat up or worse, killed… and this brings me back to James Baldwin.
Although there has been some improvement, the gang and drug culture of the 1980's and 1990's is still prevalent today and it makes me wonder how many young, sensitive, articulate and intelligent individuals, who cultivate the “interior life” or life of the mind, who contemplate “Anna Karina” and yearn to be around others of like mind in safety, have we lost? Young men and women who were not violent, who didn’t want to have to concern themselves with whether or not they wore red or blue when they left the house and who God created to stand out — for their brilliance and there compassion — for NOT being “hard”.
So for me, the racism that James Baldwin writes about so poignantly, that still exists today, isn’t nearly as damaging to African Americans as what we do to ourselves.
|
495b1262-8bb1-5d6e-ac10-43e0d7bb513f
|
25/08/2025 16:02:50
|
https://medium.com/@consulneowatt/introducing-next-generation-online-ups-system-falcon-series-752da0737069
|
medium.com
|
Introducing Next-Generation Online Ups System — Falcon Series
|
https://consulneowatt.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/introducing-next-generation-online-ups-system-falcon-series/
|
shivsai consulneowatt
|
https://medium.com/@consulneowatt
|
752da0737069
| null |
0 min
|
2018-08-20T07:22:09.293000
|
2018-08-20T07:22:39.670000
|
2018-08-20T07:22:40.162000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Elections,Ups,Manufacturing
|
<section>
<p><a href="https://consulneowatt.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/introducing-next-generation-online-ups-system-falcon-series/">https://consulneowatt.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/introducing-next-generation-online-ups-system-falcon-series/</a></p>
</section>
|
Introducing Next-Generation Online Ups System — Falcon Series
https://consulneowatt.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/introducing-next-generation-online-ups-system-falcon-series/
|
d9e49ce5-9071-5b68-970b-5d0af1814ad7
|
25/08/2025 16:02:50
|
https://medium.com/magmalabs-people-and-culture/how-to-be-in-charge-of-a-project-as-a-beginner-developer-and-dont-die-trying-3b4e43b105ed
|
medium.com
|
How-to be in charge of a project as a beginner developer and don’t die trying
|
By Ulises García
|
MagmaLabs
|
https://medium.com/@MagmaLabs
|
3b4e43b105ed
|
6 min
|
2017-07-13T23:38:53.025000
|
2017-07-13T23:40:47.764000
|
2017-11-29T10:47:54.619000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Programming,Developer Stories,Tips And Tools,Work Smart,Software Development
|
<section>
<h1>How-to be in charge of a project as a beginner developer and don’t die trying</h1>
<p><em><strong>By Ulise</em>s García</strong></p>
<p>This post is mainly aimed at young developers who start their career in the world of work. However it is very likely that you, as an experienced developer, also feel identified with everything you are about to read, put yourself comfortable, go for a beer And enjoy reading, I hope this help you a lot.</p>
<p>When you are a beginner in the world of web, mobile or desktop development, there are two common cases that happen; The first one is where you feel able to do everything the client asks, after all, we have Google that will always help us if we need it, or we have a person who gives us feedback and tips to improve the code we write. The second case happens when you feel scared because you think you can’t do the job by yourself, this case can be solved by having a mentor to accompany you in the development process, and if he belongs to the same project that you are is even better, since he is familiar with the application code.
But, what happens when you are new in the development world and your boss leaves you alone in charge of a project that has gone through several hands before you? This may sound good or bad depending on the project itself because the sense of responsibility grows exponentially. Being the only developer of a project entails a series of emotions that I will describe below:</p>
<h3>“I can do everything they ask me.”</h3>
<p>Usually, this feeling is manifested when you have had school experience with the technologies that the project handles, but what happens when you have no idea of what technologies are being used in the application? It is normal for the developer to search and learn all the necessary technologies as well as the tools that facilitate the use of these and attack all necessary tasks.</p>
<h3>“I think I can do it, I just need to become more familiar with the code.”</h3>
<p>This is very important, before programming the first line in a project, that went through several developers before you, so make sure you understand how it works, why it was done in that way, and what are the limitations of the project and identify opportunities for code improvement. Being critical of your project is very important so that you will become aware of why you are going to do a task in the way you are going to do it. I consider that the first week of work in an inherited project must be taken to analyze the code, understand how it works and define if it can be improved, this will make the development speed good once you start writing code.</p>
<h3>“Why is this feature made like this? What if I optimize it?”</h3>
<p>This has to do with the previous point. The first thing to do is to contact the developer who was before you in the project when he belonged to the same company as you, he can help you to understand why things were done like that. But there will be times when the person who wrote that code is not reachable and other developers could fail to understand why it works all in that way. If you really see that you can optimize code and it’s not going to take you a long time to do it, it’s worth spending a couple of hours to improve it, always taking care that you will not break anything in the application, it’s about contributing to a cleaner code.</p>
<h3>“Why there isn’t any documentation?”</h3>
<p>A clean and well-written code will never require any documentation, as it must be very expressive in terms of naming variables, methods, functions, etc. The comments are useful to clarify situations that might be confusing, for example: “The variable is called ‘carWheel’ because there is also a ‘bikeWheel’ and both belong to the ‘wheel’ class.” If the code speaks for itself, it doesn’t need to be documented.</p>
<h3>“I am stressed, I have delivery tomorrow and I haven’t finished yet.”</h3>
<p>This case is very complex for the simple fact that time and stress are not good friends. In these cases what I recommend is that you raise your hand and ask for help with someone with more experience so that you can get your task done, this will be very constant at the beginning of your career as a developer, you should not feel bad for asking, on the contrary, you must feel with all the confidence to be able to ask questions to whom you want, for this you must follow a series of steps so that your question can be answered easily:
<strong>* Try to solve it yourself before asking:</strong> Try different ways to do it, research the internet possible solutions to your problem and try to implement them.
<strong>* 15-minute rule: </strong>Once you tried different things and didn’t work anything that you investigated and it has been more than 15 minutes since you are blocked then you can raise your hand to ask.
<strong>* Prepare your question: </strong>Before going with someone to ask you must create the question with useful information so people can help you to solve it. Include the problem you are having, the reason of that problem, what you want to solve that problem and everything you did to try to solve it. The latter is very important if you haven’t tried anything to solve it is very likely that they can’t help you with so little information. Your question should look something like this:</p>
<p><em>“Hello, I have a problem and I would like to know if you can help me. I have to validate that the date exists, for example, don’t write February 31st, I tried with ruby to take the value of the drop down where I request the date and make it a .to_date but when I receive the value of the date it is received as if it were March 3rd, I mean, it moves the date for 3 days and March 3rd is a date that does exist and I would like to know if there is a way to do the validation of the day.”</em></p>
<p>With this question, you are informing the other person of what your problem is, what possible solutions you have tried and didn’t work and what it is that you want to achieve at the end of the task, in this way it will be much easier to help you.</p>
<h3>“The designer asks me for things that are impossible to implement.”</h3>
<p>Usually this is a phrase that says someone who is afraid of the front-end, this is very common because for many developers, front-end is very difficult to implement and when they don’t have much experience, it can be a real nightmare to add a photo gallery when there are many tools that allow you to add these galleries very simply. Telling the designer that a thing can’t be done isn’t valid if it hasn’t been tried before. You should let him know that you have never done something like that and that it may take some time to implement it and analyze if it’s possible by the type of project that is carried.</p>
<h3>“I can’t do this, this is the end.”</h3>
<p>This is more common than you could imagine. At the beginning of your career as a developer you can run into projects that are very difficult to manage, what you should always take into account, is that you are not alone, there are many people willing to help you with pleasure and this will help you to take confidence little by little, if you do not know how to do something, ask, don’t stay silent, someone will come to help.
When you work for a medium or large size company you must have the confidence that you aren’t less than anyone, you are as valuable to the company just as the oldest member. Stress is something that will often lead to a non-optimal mood to solve a problem. Here is a tip: do a little exercise, physical activity helps to reduce your stress levels and keeps your body in a healthy way, as our profession demands to be seated for long periods of time, which causes slow metabolism and therefore you gain weight. There are only two types of programmers, the fat and the fit.</p>
<p>Finally, if you feel identified with all that I mentioned above, I send you a virtual programmer hug, you are not alone, I know that you can achieve what you propose!</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http</strong>://www.magmalabs.io">Magmalabs.io</a> is an expert UX/UI Design, Ecommerce, and Software Development consultancy. We build beautiful ecommerce, web, and mobile software solutions for startups, scale ups and corporate companies using innovative techn</em>ologies, top talent, and exceptional quality assurance.</p>
</section>
|
How-to be in charge of a project as a beginner developer and don’t die trying
By Ulises García
This post is mainly aimed at young developers who start their career in the world of work. However it is very likely that you, as an experienced developer, also feel identified with everything you are about to read, put yourself comfortable, go for a beer And enjoy reading, I hope this help you a lot.
When you are a beginner in the world of web, mobile or desktop development, there are two common cases that happen; The first one is where you feel able to do everything the client asks, after all, we have Google that will always help us if we need it, or we have a person who gives us feedback and tips to improve the code we write. The second case happens when you feel scared because you think you can’t do the job by yourself, this case can be solved by having a mentor to accompany you in the development process, and if he belongs to the same project that you are is even better, since he is familiar with the application code.
But, what happens when you are new in the development world and your boss leaves you alone in charge of a project that has gone through several hands before you? This may sound good or bad depending on the project itself because the sense of responsibility grows exponentially. Being the only developer of a project entails a series of emotions that I will describe below:
“I can do everything they ask me.”
Usually, this feeling is manifested when you have had school experience with the technologies that the project handles, but what happens when you have no idea of what technologies are being used in the application? It is normal for the developer to search and learn all the necessary technologies as well as the tools that facilitate the use of these and attack all necessary tasks.
“I think I can do it, I just need to become more familiar with the code.”
This is very important, before programming the first line in a project, that went through several developers before you, so make sure you understand how it works, why it was done in that way, and what are the limitations of the project and identify opportunities for code improvement. Being critical of your project is very important so that you will become aware of why you are going to do a task in the way you are going to do it. I consider that the first week of work in an inherited project must be taken to analyze the code, understand how it works and define if it can be improved, this will make the development speed good once you start writing code.
“Why is this feature made like this? What if I optimize it?”
This has to do with the previous point. The first thing to do is to contact the developer who was before you in the project when he belonged to the same company as you, he can help you to understand why things were done like that. But there will be times when the person who wrote that code is not reachable and other developers could fail to understand why it works all in that way. If you really see that you can optimize code and it’s not going to take you a long time to do it, it’s worth spending a couple of hours to improve it, always taking care that you will not break anything in the application, it’s about contributing to a cleaner code.
“Why there isn’t any documentation?”
A clean and well-written code will never require any documentation, as it must be very expressive in terms of naming variables, methods, functions, etc. The comments are useful to clarify situations that might be confusing, for example: “The variable is called ‘carWheel’ because there is also a ‘bikeWheel’ and both belong to the ‘wheel’ class.” If the code speaks for itself, it doesn’t need to be documented.
“I am stressed, I have delivery tomorrow and I haven’t finished yet.”
This case is very complex for the simple fact that time and stress are not good friends. In these cases what I recommend is that you raise your hand and ask for help with someone with more experience so that you can get your task done, this will be very constant at the beginning of your career as a developer, you should not feel bad for asking, on the contrary, you must feel with all the confidence to be able to ask questions to whom you want, for this you must follow a series of steps so that your question can be answered easily:
* Try to solve it yourself before asking: Try different ways to do it, research the internet possible solutions to your problem and try to implement them.
* 15-minute rule: Once you tried different things and didn’t work anything that you investigated and it has been more than 15 minutes since you are blocked then you can raise your hand to ask.
* Prepare your question: Before going with someone to ask you must create the question with useful information so people can help you to solve it. Include the problem you are having, the reason of that problem, what you want to solve that problem and everything you did to try to solve it. The latter is very important if you haven’t tried anything to solve it is very likely that they can’t help you with so little information. Your question should look something like this:
“Hello, I have a problem and I would like to know if you can help me. I have to validate that the date exists, for example, don’t write February 31st, I tried with ruby to take the value of the drop down where I request the date and make it a .to_date but when I receive the value of the date it is received as if it were March 3rd, I mean, it moves the date for 3 days and March 3rd is a date that does exist and I would like to know if there is a way to do the validation of the day.”
With this question, you are informing the other person of what your problem is, what possible solutions you have tried and didn’t work and what it is that you want to achieve at the end of the task, in this way it will be much easier to help you.
“The designer asks me for things that are impossible to implement.”
Usually this is a phrase that says someone who is afraid of the front-end, this is very common because for many developers, front-end is very difficult to implement and when they don’t have much experience, it can be a real nightmare to add a photo gallery when there are many tools that allow you to add these galleries very simply. Telling the designer that a thing can’t be done isn’t valid if it hasn’t been tried before. You should let him know that you have never done something like that and that it may take some time to implement it and analyze if it’s possible by the type of project that is carried.
“I can’t do this, this is the end.”
This is more common than you could imagine. At the beginning of your career as a developer you can run into projects that are very difficult to manage, what you should always take into account, is that you are not alone, there are many people willing to help you with pleasure and this will help you to take confidence little by little, if you do not know how to do something, ask, don’t stay silent, someone will come to help.
When you work for a medium or large size company you must have the confidence that you aren’t less than anyone, you are as valuable to the company just as the oldest member. Stress is something that will often lead to a non-optimal mood to solve a problem. Here is a tip: do a little exercise, physical activity helps to reduce your stress levels and keeps your body in a healthy way, as our profession demands to be seated for long periods of time, which causes slow metabolism and therefore you gain weight. There are only two types of programmers, the fat and the fit.
Finally, if you feel identified with all that I mentioned above, I send you a virtual programmer hug, you are not alone, I know that you can achieve what you propose!
Magmalabs.io is an expert UX/UI Design, Ecommerce, and Software Development consultancy. We build beautiful ecommerce, web, and mobile software solutions for startups, scale ups and corporate companies using innovative technologies, top talent, and exceptional quality assurance.
|
ab2270de-83c8-535f-94d6-e9edda16793e
|
25/08/2025 16:02:50
|
|
https://medium.com/@securitypluscloud/spc-ico-bounty-twitter-campaign-fe7ed5a00e7f
|
medium.com
|
SPC ICO Bounty Twitter Campaign
|
A bounty campaign is a PR event when a project is being promoted by its participants and supporters. Usually, the term “bounty campaign” is…
|
SecurityPlusCloud
|
https://medium.com/@securitypluscloud
|
fe7ed5a00e7f
| null |
1 min
|
2017-10-17T15:25:25.581000
|
2017-10-17T15:29:13.147000
|
2018-05-01T09:33:51.513000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Blockchain,ICO,Ethereum,Ether,Twitter
|
<section>
<p>A bounty campaign is a PR event when a project is being promoted by its participants and supporters. Usually, the term “bounty campaign” is being used in ICO (Initial Coin Offering) crowd sale campaigns. Participation in such campaigns is rewarded with tokens offered for sale during an ICO.</p>
<p>SecurityPlusCloud ICO offers one of the highest bounty percentages of 7% of all ICO funds raised for all bounty campaigns. As a reward participants will receive SPC tokens.</p>
<p><strong>Bounty Overview:</strong></p>
<p>We are looking for a viral growth of our brand awareness for the world’s first cyber security ico launch for 1st Nov 2017. We are asking all our followers to tweet our messages to their friends and family and help us spread the message of cyber security.</p>
<p><strong>What do you get:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Earn 1 SPC Token per Tweet.</li>
<li>Earn up to a maximum 3,000 SPC Tokens (equivalent of 10 Ethers) per person.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>What you have to do :</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Follow <em>SecurityPCloud</em> twitter page at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/securitypcloud">https://www.twitter.com/securitypcloud</a></li>
<li>Like the daily posed FIVE unique tweets on<em> <strong>Securit</em>yPCloud</strong> twitter timeline.</li>
<li>Re-tweet the daily posted FIVE unique tweets with hashtags on comments</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>#cybersecurityico</strong></p>
<p><strong>#securitypluscloud</strong></p>
<p><strong>Terms:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Register here: <strong><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/U5V2ERzX</strong>pg4IclD62">https://goo.gl/forms/U5V2ERzXpg4IclD62</a></li>
<li>You must have at least 250 followers.</li>
<li>Your Twitter Account should at least be 6 months old.</li>
<li>All bot like participants will not be paid.</li>
<li>Bounty program ends on the last day of ICO Main Sale (6th January 2018).</li>
<li>The SPC bounty tokens will be distributed within 30 days from the ICO end date to your Ethereum wallet address after tweets are verified by our team.</li>
</ul>
</section>
|
SPC ICO Bounty Twitter Campaign
A bounty campaign is a PR event when a project is being promoted by its participants and supporters. Usually, the term “bounty campaign” is being used in ICO (Initial Coin Offering) crowd sale campaigns. Participation in such campaigns is rewarded with tokens offered for sale during an ICO.
SecurityPlusCloud ICO offers one of the highest bounty percentages of 7% of all ICO funds raised for all bounty campaigns. As a reward participants will receive SPC tokens.
Bounty Overview:
We are looking for a viral growth of our brand awareness for the world’s first cyber security ico launch for 1st Nov 2017. We are asking all our followers to tweet our messages to their friends and family and help us spread the message of cyber security.
What do you get:
Earn 1 SPC Token per Tweet.
Earn up to a maximum 3,000 SPC Tokens (equivalent of 10 Ethers) per person.
What you have to do :
Follow SecurityPCloud twitter page at https://www.twitter.com/securitypcloud
Like the daily posed FIVE unique tweets on SecurityPCloud twitter timeline.
Re-tweet the daily posted FIVE unique tweets with hashtags on comments
#cybersecurityico
#securitypluscloud
Terms:
Register here: https://goo.gl/forms/U5V2ERzXpg4IclD62
You must have at least 250 followers.
Your Twitter Account should at least be 6 months old.
All bot like participants will not be paid.
Bounty program ends on the last day of ICO Main Sale (6th January 2018).
The SPC bounty tokens will be distributed within 30 days from the ICO end date to your Ethereum wallet address after tweets are verified by our team.
|
bb8f0dad-077a-5916-b2ae-3f444354df78
|
25/08/2025 16:02:50
|
https://medium.com/@brazier.sela/play-unified-live-unified-197398ac42f2
|
medium.com
|
Play Unified, Live Unified
|
We often do not realize the depth of our strength and the source of our happiness until we place ourselves in a position of uncertainty. My…
|
Sela Brazier
|
https://medium.com/@brazier.sela
|
197398ac42f2
|
2 min
|
2015-08-30T20:30:32.152000
|
2015-08-30T20:38:38.885000
|
2017-11-26T03:20:14.264000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Sports,Education,Special Olympics
|
<section>
<p>We often do not realize the depth of our strength and the source of our happiness until we place ourselves in a position of uncertainty. My joy lies in coaching Unified soccer; the opportunity to do so is irreplaceable, matchless, and remarkable. My life is different because of the choice to both start and coach the team. Unified sports, a component of Special Olympics, places individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports team. In both a coaching and coordinating position, I surprised myself. I did not realize the strength that I have in terms of working with disabled individuals. I was forced to rethink the fundamental steps of soccer as both language and physical barriers exist between teammates. Individuals in the special education department were granted the opportunity to fulfill new roles: They are now athletes and advocates. They are recognized as a high school varsity team. After weeks of fundamental practice, the team’s first goal was scored by a young man who is unable to communicate. I learned impactful lessons through Project Unify.</p>
<p>Project Unify, a major component of Special Olympics, places individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports teams. The movement centralizes on one fundamental notion: The barriers existing between those with and without physical and intellectual disabilities must be broken. Coaching Unified soccer enables a regular individual, in this case me, to become an advocate. As a Unified coach, I simplify the game of soccer as to allow for the participation of all people. Project Unify is not simply an idea, but a movement. The Unified movement spreads far beyond the game of soccer. Project Unify impacts the school, the student body, the parents, the community, and even the state. Unified soccer gives young people purpose, a vital aspect of growth. Coaching Unified soccer as a profession is an opportunity which must be taken seriously. If one individual wants to ignite change, why not allow them to start where it is least expected?</p>
<p>Reflecting on my position as both a coordinator and head coach for Unified soccer, I find myself overwhelmingly speechless. Project Unify changed my heart, exposed my purpose, and developed my faith. While coaching, I feel completely in my element. Pursuing involvement in an activity with purpose truly changes an individual. Unified soccer, a sports team composed of individuals with and without intellectual disabilities, sincerely transforms all who are involved. When I originally presented the idea of creating a Unified team to my school, I had innumerable doubts. I assumed that even if the program worked out, it would never actually impact the school as a whole. I was very wrong as the experience shaped not only my life but also the lives of those around me. Finding an area that you love and excel in is a remarkable thing. Coaching Unified soccer, I feel completely at ease. I feel as though I am in the right place. Connecting with disabled individuals is often difficult or uncomfortable for people. I feel fortunate to have found an area in which I can connect with ease.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/973/1*NG26uG62N0fdxE6LRHkakg.png" width="973" height="688" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Play Unified, Live Unified
We often do not realize the depth of our strength and the source of our happiness until we place ourselves in a position of uncertainty. My joy lies in coaching Unified soccer; the opportunity to do so is irreplaceable, matchless, and remarkable. My life is different because of the choice to both start and coach the team. Unified sports, a component of Special Olympics, places individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports team. In both a coaching and coordinating position, I surprised myself. I did not realize the strength that I have in terms of working with disabled individuals. I was forced to rethink the fundamental steps of soccer as both language and physical barriers exist between teammates. Individuals in the special education department were granted the opportunity to fulfill new roles: They are now athletes and advocates. They are recognized as a high school varsity team. After weeks of fundamental practice, the team’s first goal was scored by a young man who is unable to communicate. I learned impactful lessons through Project Unify.
Project Unify, a major component of Special Olympics, places individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports teams. The movement centralizes on one fundamental notion: The barriers existing between those with and without physical and intellectual disabilities must be broken. Coaching Unified soccer enables a regular individual, in this case me, to become an advocate. As a Unified coach, I simplify the game of soccer as to allow for the participation of all people. Project Unify is not simply an idea, but a movement. The Unified movement spreads far beyond the game of soccer. Project Unify impacts the school, the student body, the parents, the community, and even the state. Unified soccer gives young people purpose, a vital aspect of growth. Coaching Unified soccer as a profession is an opportunity which must be taken seriously. If one individual wants to ignite change, why not allow them to start where it is least expected?
Reflecting on my position as both a coordinator and head coach for Unified soccer, I find myself overwhelmingly speechless. Project Unify changed my heart, exposed my purpose, and developed my faith. While coaching, I feel completely in my element. Pursuing involvement in an activity with purpose truly changes an individual. Unified soccer, a sports team composed of individuals with and without intellectual disabilities, sincerely transforms all who are involved. When I originally presented the idea of creating a Unified team to my school, I had innumerable doubts. I assumed that even if the program worked out, it would never actually impact the school as a whole. I was very wrong as the experience shaped not only my life but also the lives of those around me. Finding an area that you love and excel in is a remarkable thing. Coaching Unified soccer, I feel completely at ease. I feel as though I am in the right place. Connecting with disabled individuals is often difficult or uncomfortable for people. I feel fortunate to have found an area in which I can connect with ease.
Tigard High School Unified Soccer 2015
|
babb9c6e-8ed7-554d-807e-9b602069d489
|
25/08/2025 16:02:51
|
|
https://medium.com/@aicel_/hey-stranger-ive-missed-you-1-18b7bc7e2598
|
medium.com
|
Hey, stranger, I’ve missed you #1
|
Hey, how’s life, stranger?
|
Aicel
|
https://medium.com/@aicel_
|
18b7bc7e2598
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*JSJvy8iCy2HNqunO
|
1 min
|
2025-08-23T12:23:15.052000
|
2025-08-23T12:59:49.537000
|
2025-08-23T13:27:43.550000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Love,Poetry,Diary,Feelings,Relationships
|
<section>
<p>Hey, how’s life, stranger?</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3755/0*JSJvy8iCy2HNqunO" width="3755" height="2592" loading="lazy" />
<p>Maybe our lives will never cross paths again.
You walked to the north, while I walked to the other side.
We no longer told each other random stories when the blue sky turned orange.</p>
<p>All of “us” stayed in the corner of the door we called “memories”.
They show up whenever the clouds pull the earth into their arms,
or whenever the wind passes me at 5 PM.
And at the same time, it feels heavy to breathe.</p>
<p>I never told you: I’m yearning for you —
in the silence,
in the places no one can find out.</p>
<p>in the night when we talked endlessly, until the clock reminded us to sleep.</p>
</section>
|
Hey, stranger, I’ve missed you #1
Hey, how’s life, stranger?
Photo by Wyron A on Unsplash
Maybe our lives will never cross paths again.
You walked to the north, while I walked to the other side.
We no longer told each other random stories when the blue sky turned orange.
All of “us” stayed in the corner of the door we called “memories”.
They show up whenever the clouds pull the earth into their arms,
or whenever the wind passes me at 5 PM.
And at the same time, it feels heavy to breathe.
I never told you: I’m yearning for you —
in the silence,
in the places no one can find out.
in the night when we talked endlessly, until the clock reminded us to sleep.
|
190cca79-d0c6-5cbd-9f78-91829c812cdd
|
25/08/2025 16:02:51
|
https://john-muresianu.medium.com/liberal-arts-blog-visit-to-the-huntington-art-museum-and-botanical-gardens-blue-boy-2c53d73d99f7
|
medium.com
|
Liberal Arts Blog — Visit to the Huntington Art Museum and Botanical Gardens — “Blue Boy,”…
|
Liberal Arts Blog — Friday is the Joy of Art, Architecture, Design, Film, and All Things Visual Day
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John Muresianu
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https://medium.com/@john-muresianu
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2c53d73d99f7
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https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*6zY4G8Q2VTNT71pQ
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4 min
|
2023-05-13T00:23:58.477000
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2023-05-13T00:29:30.570000
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2023-05-14T04:14:15.155000
| 0 | 0 |
en
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Liberal Arts Blog,Huntington Art Museum,Gainsborough,Lawrence,Birley
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<section>
<p>Liberal Arts Blog — Friday is the Joy of Art, Architecture, Design, Film, and All Things Visual Day</p>
<p>Today’s Topic: Visit to the Huntington Art Museum and Botanical Gardens — “Blue Boy,” “Pinkie,” “Arabella”</p>
<p>The biggest surprise was the portrait of Arabella Huntington (1851–1924) by Oswald Birley (1880–1952). The stern look suggested an extremely forceful personality. Part One of today’s post takes this intriguing work for its subject. Part Two focuses on the most famous painting of the Huntington collection, “Blue Boy,” (1770 ) by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) which has made many appearances in film and television and inspired the creation of the gay bi-weekly “Blue Boy” magazine published between 1974 and 2007, which, in turn, was later referenced in Cindi Lauper’s hit song “She Bop.” Part Three features “Pinkie” (1794) by Thomas Laurence (1769–1830), a portrait of 11 year old Sarah Barrett Moulton who tragically died just a year later. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.</p>
<p>ARABELLA (YARRINGTON) HUNTINGTON (1924) BY OSWALD BIRLEY (1880–1952)</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/634/0*6zY4G8Q2VTNT71pQ" width="634" height="800" loading="lazy" />
<p>1. “It is finest portrait of modern times and as great as any Velasquez.” (John Duveen, Arabella’s art dealer)</p>
<p>2. “Birley uses Arabella Huntington’s idiosyncratic dress and inscrutable gaze to reinforce his characterization of her as a highly complex and rather cryptic individual.”</p>
<p>3. It is unclear exactly when and where Arabella was born and also undetermined is the identity of the father of her first child Archer and whether or not she was married at the time of his birth. Her second husband (Henry Huntington) was the nephew of her first husband (Collis Huntington).</p>
<p>NB: Birley was one of the most sought after portraitists of the 20th century. His subjects included; King George V, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Andrew Mellon, JP Morgan, and Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery.</p>
<p>BLUE BOY (1770) by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788)</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/220/0*hW4T89RF3FcDuWDL.jpg" width="220" height="325" loading="lazy" />
<p>1. The painting is a tribute to Anthony Van Dyck (1599–1641), the Flemish baroque portraitist.</p>
<p>2. The blue is a distraction from the exquisite detail of the boy’s face.</p>
<p>3. When purchased by Henry Huntington in 1921, it was the most expensive painting ever sold. When it departed England, Cole Porter celebrated the painting in “The Blue Boy Blues.”</p>
<p>NB: “Originally titled <em>A Portrait of a Young Gentleman</em>, Gainsborough unveiled the work at London’s Royal Academy of Arts in 1770. The brilliant blue suit immediately caused a stir, given the period’s preference for warm, red tones in the style of Florentine artists.” Postscript: From Marlene Dietrich and Shirley Temple to a gay version of Playboy (“Blue Boy Magazine”)</p>
<p>“When girls and women masqueraded as Gainsborough’s <em>Blue Boy</em> on stage and screen, they brought about a gradual feminization of the youth. By the early 20th century Marlene Dietrich was photographed in a <em>Blue Boy</em> costume and Shirley Temple appeared as Gainsborough’s youth in the movie <em>Curly Top</em> in 1935. Shortly after the painting showed up in the main entrance of the Cleaver family residence during the third season of the <em>Leave it to Beaver</em> show in 1959, viewers increasingly associated feminine traits with the boy in blue leading to his connection to an emergent gay culture.” Blueboy magazine is referenced in Cindi Lauper’s song “She Bop” — Well, I see him every night in tight blue jeans In the pages of a <em>Blueboy</em> magazine.” The song is her third most commercially successful — after “Girls just want to have fun,” and “Time After Time.”</p>
<p>“PINKIE” (aka “Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton”) by Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830)</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/220/0*WvcSjjzYx_LecGCM.jpg" width="220" height="330" loading="lazy" />
<p>1. The most striking detail is that she seems to be floating on one foot. To my astonishment this was typical of many of the other portraits of young women in the Huntington collection of British art of the late 18th century.</p>
<p>2. Sarah Barrett Moulton was born in 1783 and died in 1795, one year after the portrait was painted.</p>
<p>3. Thomas Lawrence was a self-taught child prodigy who became the most famous portraitist of his time.</p>
<p>NB: “In the 1848 novel, Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray refers to “…the Lawrence portraits, tawdry and beautiful, and, thirty years ago, deemed as precious as works of real genius…”</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Library">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Library</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabella_Huntington">Arabella Huntington — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://emuseum.huntington.org/objects/261/arabella-yarrington-huntington">Arabella (Yarrington) Huntington</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collis_Potter_Huntington">Collis Potter Huntington — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_E._Huntington">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_E._Huntington</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Birley">Oswald Birley — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Boy">The Blue Boy — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.artnews.com/feature/blue-boy-painting-thomas-grainsborough-what-is-it-why-is-it-important-1234617832/">Why Thomas Gainsborough’s Iconic ‘Blue Boy’ Was Once the Most Famous Painting in the World</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkie_(painting)">Pinkie (painting) — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Lawrence">Thomas Lawrence — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://insidethehuntingtonsstory.com/2020/02/27/henry-e-huntingtons-bio-biography-file-1850-1927/">Henry E. Huntington’s (Bio) Biography File (1850–1927)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueboy_(magazine)">Blueboy (magazine) — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck">Anthony van Dyck — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_Bop">She Bop — Wikipedia</a></p>
<p>QUOTE OF THE MONTH</p>
<p>“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson</p>
<p>My spin — then periodically review, re-rank, and exchange your list with those you love. I call this the “Orion Exchange” because seven is about as many as any human can digest at a time. Game?</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/354/0*u3ydTsp1nzEHec_t.png" width="354" height="339" loading="lazy" />
<p>LAST FOUR YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED THEMATICALLY</p>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IP5ATbqCWPv0WKC4dCDgAiidbFVOaqR_">Updated PDFs — Google Drive</a></p>
<p>ATTACHMENTS BELOW:</p>
<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YoOekTQtv5ny34KddMXur1vvPq0nRCSY/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117803846392357255410&rtpof=true&sd=true">#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).</a></p>
<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UHeexJNhZhaL4yAiA7LD2bxKYfH8SNbs/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117803846392357255410&rtpof=true&sd=true">#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People”</a> — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, (11/17/20)</p>
<p>YOUR TURN</p>
<p>Please share the coolest thing you learned recently or ever related to art, sculpture, design, architecture, film, or anything visual.</p>
<p>This is your chance to make some one else’s day. And to cement in your own memory something cool or important you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that is close to your heart.</p>
</section>
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Liberal Arts Blog — Visit to the Huntington Art Museum and Botanical Gardens — “Blue Boy,” “Pinkie,” “Arabella”
Liberal Arts Blog — Friday is the Joy of Art, Architecture, Design, Film, and All Things Visual Day
Today’s Topic: Visit to the Huntington Art Museum and Botanical Gardens — “Blue Boy,” “Pinkie,” “Arabella”
The biggest surprise was the portrait of Arabella Huntington (1851–1924) by Oswald Birley (1880–1952). The stern look suggested an extremely forceful personality. Part One of today’s post takes this intriguing work for its subject. Part Two focuses on the most famous painting of the Huntington collection, “Blue Boy,” (1770 ) by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) which has made many appearances in film and television and inspired the creation of the gay bi-weekly “Blue Boy” magazine published between 1974 and 2007, which, in turn, was later referenced in Cindi Lauper’s hit song “She Bop.” Part Three features “Pinkie” (1794) by Thomas Laurence (1769–1830), a portrait of 11 year old Sarah Barrett Moulton who tragically died just a year later. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
ARABELLA (YARRINGTON) HUNTINGTON (1924) BY OSWALD BIRLEY (1880–1952)
1. “It is finest portrait of modern times and as great as any Velasquez.” (John Duveen, Arabella’s art dealer)
2. “Birley uses Arabella Huntington’s idiosyncratic dress and inscrutable gaze to reinforce his characterization of her as a highly complex and rather cryptic individual.”
3. It is unclear exactly when and where Arabella was born and also undetermined is the identity of the father of her first child Archer and whether or not she was married at the time of his birth. Her second husband (Henry Huntington) was the nephew of her first husband (Collis Huntington).
NB: Birley was one of the most sought after portraitists of the 20th century. His subjects included; King George V, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Andrew Mellon, JP Morgan, and Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery.
BLUE BOY (1770) by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788)
1. The painting is a tribute to Anthony Van Dyck (1599–1641), the Flemish baroque portraitist.
2. The blue is a distraction from the exquisite detail of the boy’s face.
3. When purchased by Henry Huntington in 1921, it was the most expensive painting ever sold. When it departed England, Cole Porter celebrated the painting in “The Blue Boy Blues.”
NB: “Originally titled A Portrait of a Young Gentleman, Gainsborough unveiled the work at London’s Royal Academy of Arts in 1770. The brilliant blue suit immediately caused a stir, given the period’s preference for warm, red tones in the style of Florentine artists.” Postscript: From Marlene Dietrich and Shirley Temple to a gay version of Playboy (“Blue Boy Magazine”)
“When girls and women masqueraded as Gainsborough’s Blue Boy on stage and screen, they brought about a gradual feminization of the youth. By the early 20th century Marlene Dietrich was photographed in a Blue Boy costume and Shirley Temple appeared as Gainsborough’s youth in the movie Curly Top in 1935. Shortly after the painting showed up in the main entrance of the Cleaver family residence during the third season of the Leave it to Beaver show in 1959, viewers increasingly associated feminine traits with the boy in blue leading to his connection to an emergent gay culture.” Blueboy magazine is referenced in Cindi Lauper’s song “She Bop” — Well, I see him every night in tight blue jeans In the pages of a Blueboy magazine.” The song is her third most commercially successful — after “Girls just want to have fun,” and “Time After Time.”
“PINKIE” (aka “Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton”) by Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830)
1. The most striking detail is that she seems to be floating on one foot. To my astonishment this was typical of many of the other portraits of young women in the Huntington collection of British art of the late 18th century.
2. Sarah Barrett Moulton was born in 1783 and died in 1795, one year after the portrait was painted.
3. Thomas Lawrence was a self-taught child prodigy who became the most famous portraitist of his time.
NB: “In the 1848 novel, Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray refers to “…the Lawrence portraits, tawdry and beautiful, and, thirty years ago, deemed as precious as works of real genius…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Library
Arabella Huntington — Wikipedia
Arabella (Yarrington) Huntington
Collis Potter Huntington — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_E._Huntington
Oswald Birley — Wikipedia
The Blue Boy — Wikipedia
Why Thomas Gainsborough’s Iconic ‘Blue Boy’ Was Once the Most Famous Painting in the World
Pinkie (painting) — Wikipedia
Thomas Lawrence — Wikipedia
Henry E. Huntington’s (Bio) Biography File (1850–1927)
Blueboy (magazine) — Wikipedia
Anthony van Dyck — Wikipedia
She Bop — Wikipedia
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
My spin — then periodically review, re-rank, and exchange your list with those you love. I call this the “Orion Exchange” because seven is about as many as any human can digest at a time. Game?
LAST FOUR YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED THEMATICALLY
Updated PDFs — Google Drive
ATTACHMENTS BELOW:
#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).
#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People” — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, (11/17/20)
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned recently or ever related to art, sculpture, design, architecture, film, or anything visual.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day. And to cement in your own memory something cool or important you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that is close to your heart.
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e8e3efcc-4366-5a09-88ff-c8d971257941
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25/08/2025 16:02:52
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https://medium.com/@VeganLover/how-chatgpt-can-help-improve-mental-health-ade2d0d58494
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medium.com
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How ChatGPT Can Help Improve Mental Health
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The Growing Importance of Mental Health
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Daily Know More Channel
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https://medium.com/@VeganLover
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ade2d0d58494
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3 min
|
2023-04-03T12:45:52.790000
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2023-04-03T12:49:58.480000
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2023-04-04T04:16:58.285000
| 1 | 9 |
en
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Mental Health,ChatGPT,Chatbots,Chat,Anxiety
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/8192/1*A5glTHmEY-192jahahOE-Q.jpeg" width="8192" height="5461" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>The Growing Importance of Mental Health</strong></p>
<p>Mental health is an integral part of overall well-being, and it has become a critical issue in today’s world. With the increasing stress levels, work pressure, and the ongoing pandemic, mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and stress have become more prevalent than ever. Mental health professionals are struggling to keep up with the demand, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide personalized care to every individual. This is where chatbots like ChatGPT come into the picture.</p>
<p><strong>The Benefits of Chatbots in Mental Health</strong></p>
<p>Chatbots have been around for a while now, but they are gaining momentum in the field of mental health. Chatbots like ChatGPT can provide individuals with a safe and confidential space to talk about their mental health issues. Here are some benefits of chatbots in mental health:</p>
<p><strong>Accessibility</strong>: Chatbots are accessible 24/7, which means that individuals can reach out for help anytime they need it. This is particularly important for those who are unable to access traditional mental health services due to various reasons like financial constraints or lack of transportation.</p>
<p><strong>Anonymity</strong>: Many people feel uncomfortable discussing their mental health issues face-to-face with a mental health professional. Chatbots offer anonymity, which means that individuals can talk about their mental health issues without fear of judgment or stigma.</p>
<p><strong>Personalized Care</strong>: Chatbots like ChatGPT use artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to provide personalized care to individuals. This means that individuals can get customized recommendations based on their specific needs.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5724/1*IUCy-7_OiEY6j3aYrNeQqA.jpeg" width="5724" height="3816" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>How Chatbots like ChatGPT Work</strong></p>
<p>Chatbots like ChatGPT use natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to individuals’ queries. They can provide individuals with relevant information, support, and resources. Chatbots can also help individuals track their mental health progress and provide them with reminders to practice self-care.</p>
<p><strong>The Future of Chatbots in Mental Health</strong></p>
<p>Chatbots are still in their early stages, but they hold immense potential in the field of mental health. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, chatbots can learn and improve their responses over time. As chatbots become more advanced, they can provide individuals with even more personalized care and support.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Chatbots like ChatGPT can provide individuals with a safe, confidential, and accessible space to talk about their mental health issues. With the increasing demand for mental health services, chatbots can help bridge the gap and provide individuals with the support they need. While chatbots are not a substitute for traditional mental health services, they can complement them and provide individuals with an additional layer of support. The future of chatbots in mental health is promising, and it will be exciting to see how they evolve and improve over time.</p>
<h1>Welcome to Daily Know More!</h1>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to read my articles. My goal is to inspire you to learn something new every day and help you improve your mental and physical well-being. If you would like to stay up to date on all of my latest content, I invite you to become a <a href="https://medium.com/@VeganLover/membership">member </a>by following this <a href="https://medium.com/@VeganLover/membership">link</a>. Your support motivates me to continue creating valuable content, and I am grateful for it. Let’s work together to cultivate a healthier lifestyle and a positive outlook. If you find my work helpful, please consider giving it a clap or tipping to spread the knowledge and inspiration to others.</p>
</section>
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How ChatGPT Can Help Improve Mental Health
Image: Andrea Piacquadio
The Growing Importance of Mental Health
Mental health is an integral part of overall well-being, and it has become a critical issue in today’s world. With the increasing stress levels, work pressure, and the ongoing pandemic, mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and stress have become more prevalent than ever. Mental health professionals are struggling to keep up with the demand, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide personalized care to every individual. This is where chatbots like ChatGPT come into the picture.
The Benefits of Chatbots in Mental Health
Chatbots have been around for a while now, but they are gaining momentum in the field of mental health. Chatbots like ChatGPT can provide individuals with a safe and confidential space to talk about their mental health issues. Here are some benefits of chatbots in mental health:
Accessibility: Chatbots are accessible 24/7, which means that individuals can reach out for help anytime they need it. This is particularly important for those who are unable to access traditional mental health services due to various reasons like financial constraints or lack of transportation.
Anonymity: Many people feel uncomfortable discussing their mental health issues face-to-face with a mental health professional. Chatbots offer anonymity, which means that individuals can talk about their mental health issues without fear of judgment or stigma.
Personalized Care: Chatbots like ChatGPT use artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to provide personalized care to individuals. This means that individuals can get customized recommendations based on their specific needs.
Image: Andrew Neel
How Chatbots like ChatGPT Work
Chatbots like ChatGPT use natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to individuals’ queries. They can provide individuals with relevant information, support, and resources. Chatbots can also help individuals track their mental health progress and provide them with reminders to practice self-care.
The Future of Chatbots in Mental Health
Chatbots are still in their early stages, but they hold immense potential in the field of mental health. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, chatbots can learn and improve their responses over time. As chatbots become more advanced, they can provide individuals with even more personalized care and support.
Conclusion
Chatbots like ChatGPT can provide individuals with a safe, confidential, and accessible space to talk about their mental health issues. With the increasing demand for mental health services, chatbots can help bridge the gap and provide individuals with the support they need. While chatbots are not a substitute for traditional mental health services, they can complement them and provide individuals with an additional layer of support. The future of chatbots in mental health is promising, and it will be exciting to see how they evolve and improve over time.
Welcome to Daily Know More!
Thank you for taking the time to read my articles. My goal is to inspire you to learn something new every day and help you improve your mental and physical well-being. If you would like to stay up to date on all of my latest content, I invite you to become a member by following this link. Your support motivates me to continue creating valuable content, and I am grateful for it. Let’s work together to cultivate a healthier lifestyle and a positive outlook. If you find my work helpful, please consider giving it a clap or tipping to spread the knowledge and inspiration to others.
|
5ba5723d-9e2e-5c7d-a5db-4db62b14769e
|
25/08/2025 16:02:53
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https://medium.com/@viviannhua/uxdi-project-3-3016a9c27b65
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medium.com
|
UXDI project 3
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The Initial Problem:
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Viviann Hua
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https://medium.com/@viviannhua
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3016a9c27b65
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https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*iNQAi3t0_1MLi4ni.
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9 min
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2017-01-02T22:25:07.061000
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2017-01-02T22:25:34.747000
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2017-05-14T13:10:37.820000
| 0 | 3 |
en
|
Coffee,Travel
|
<section>
<p><strong>The Initial Problem:</strong></p>
<p>We were tasked with the following brief:</p>
<p>“Intelligentsia Coffee finds it tricky to compete in the coffee industry, particularly in a city like Chicago where there are many great caffeination options for consumers. Intelligentsia needs a way to hold onto current customers and gain new ones. . . They need a way to make the Intelligentsia coffee experience more relevant and beneficial for users.”</p>
<p><strong>About Intelligentsia:</strong></p>
<p>Intelligentsia was founded in 1995 as an effort to provide local, delicious, freshly roasted coffee. It has since expanded from a small in-cafe roaster to a national brand with award winning cafes located in five cities, barista training, and award winning coffee that can be shipped nationally.</p>
<p>In October of 2015 Peet’s Coffee & Tea bought out Intelligentsia Coffee. While Intelligentsia will ostensibly keep their independence, they benefit from Peet’s distribution model, placing them in Targets and Whole Foods across the nation.</p>
<p><strong>How They Reach Their Audience:</strong></p>
<p><em>Intelligentsia Cafes:</em></p>
<p>Intelligentsia has cafes and roasting locations in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Chicago, with their greatest concentration of cafes in their hometown of Chicago. These cafes have expertly trained and award-winning baristas. They are seen by the business as an entry point to educate the public about great coffee.</p>
<p><em>Other restaurants and cafes:</em></p>
<p>Intelligentsia sources their beans to restaurants and cafes around the country, offering full support and trainings to cafe staff located by any of the Intelligentsia cafes.</p>
<p><em>National single-home buyers:</em></p>
<p>Recently bought out by Peet’s Coffee, Intelligentsia can now be found on the shelves of Target and Whole Food stores across the country. Additionally, coffee bought on their website can be roasted fresh and shipped immediately.</p>
<p><strong>Research: The Experience for Current Customers:</strong></p>
<p><em>Conducted using in-cafe interviews, one-on-one interviews and user testing in an informal environment, and heuristic analysis.</em></p>
<p><em>On their app:</em></p>
<p>Current features of the app include:</p>
<ul>
<li>An overview of all the coffee beans Intelligentsia offers, linked to store</li>
<li>A wordy coffee brewing guide combined with a timer and a guide to determine coffee-to-water ratios.</li>
<li>An “about” section, with the Intelligentsia story and their cafe locations.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>On the web:</em></p>
<p>Their website has a confusing landing page, similar to the app, with coffee bean types laid out in tiles. Events and educational opportunities are buried under two to three clicks, as are individual coffee subscriptions. They seem to struggle with which audience to address: individual consumers or businesses.</p>
<p><em>In store:</em></p>
<p>The in-store experience is a generally positive experience for users. Those who are in line are happy to wait for their coffee, and seem to appreciate the quality of the beverage they received. A couple users were observed photographing the latte art at the bar because “it is beautiful,” suggesting that Intelligentsia cafes are succeeding in providing a good product both in terms of aesthetic and taste.</p>
<p>Pain points for users:</p>
<ul>
<li>Intimidation or a sense of not knowing enough to order well.</li>
<li>Users were not aware of events.</li>
<li>Users did not interact with any of the home brewing merchandise.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Research: Competitive Analysis:</strong></p>
<p>For the second half of the research, we wanted to know what the Intelligentsia market positioning was. We split the market into four different segments for the coffee industry: national, independent, premium and standard. We concluded Intelligentsia was a national brand that is premium but has an independent feel from its consumers.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/404/0*iNQAi3t0_1MLi4ni." width="404" height="449" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/404/0*Ryn5bRBQ2RNtOrMC." width="404" height="449" loading="lazy" />
<p>As Intelligentsia is moving from the local arena to the national, we did in-store interviews with other national competitors Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. We heard from consumers at both Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks that the convenience was much more important than taste.</p>
<p>In one-on-one sit down interviews, users mentioned the importance of supporting independent coffeeshops to increase neighborhood vitality. Additionally users stated that there was more assurance that the coffee would taste good at independent coffeeshops.</p>
<p><strong>Findings:</strong></p>
<p><em>From our one-on-one sit down interviews, in-cafe interviews, user testing, and heuristic analysis.</em></p>
<p><strong>Insights, or deeper observations from our research</strong></p>
<p>1) Coffee brings together people from all backgrounds</p>
<p>2) People find comfort in familiarity & consistency of quality.</p>
<p>3) People want to fit in while still being able to customize an experience to their wants & needs</p>
<p>4) Intimidation and overwhelming information causes visitors to have a poor experience.</p>
<p>6) Coffee is an escape: a break from the screen, a walk to a cafe as a work break and special treat, a place to work outside of home while still feeling at home.</p>
<p>7) Coffee can either be a meaningful ritual or it can be a habit of convenience.</p>
<p>8) There is a continuum of coffee expertise which can impact how guests enjoy specialty coffee.</p>
<p><strong>Design Directives, or how we determined we should redesign the experience</strong></p>
<p>1) Empower and support users to both try and learn more about coffee, from the beans, the brewing, to the beverage.</p>
<p>(Based on Insight 3, Insight 4, Insight 7, Insight 8)</p>
<p>2) Create a more cohesive and visible coffee community at Intelligentsia</p>
<p>(Based on Insight 1, Insight 3, Insight 4)</p>
<p>3) Build on user’s existing rituals to create a deeper connection with coffee</p>
<p>(Based on Insight 7)</p>
<p>4) Support and enhance the user’s escape through coffee.</p>
<p>(Based on Insight 6)</p>
<p><strong>Design Solution, or what we determined we should design</strong></p>
<p>Bring the special of specialty coffee to the everyday through increased accessibility, education, and community-building.</p>
<p><strong>How we set about solving the problem:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Personas:</strong></p>
<p>We each created a persona to help us examine different coffee expertise, learning styles, and motivations for drinking coffee.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*4f3zwmMp5YPEJQzY." width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Brainstorming together:</strong></p>
<p>To practice rapid ideation, we pulled in another team from our class to help us think through our design directives. We presented them with our personas, and asked “how might we. . . .” questions relating to our design directives to get our brains quickly working and problem solving.</p>
<p><strong>User Journeys:</strong></p>
<p>We took a stab at user journeys as a group, and tried to imagine how our personas might interact with Intelligentsia. We struggled here with balancing wishful business thinking with how a user might actually progress through their day. Due to time limitations, we hadn’t followed a user through their daily routines around coffee. Future iterations should take this into account to further test how seamlessly the app and website could fit into users lives.</p>
<p>Keana:</p>
<p>Part of our design was geared towards enhancing the experience for people who enjoyed coffee but did not have a lot of knowledge about specialty coffee. From this, we created our persona Keana who was a young, single, average coffee drinker who became anxious and overwhelmed by the terminology of their menu. We wanted to touch on this pain point as we found that in store users often didn’t know what to order under pressure. We used Keana to display how the cheat sheet on our menu would alleviate this pain point. Next, we wanted to display how a user might find information about events during their in store experience. We used Keana’s date to explain that she would be able to find information on events when sitting at a table in the cafe. Last, Keana was then able to display our coffee cup design which was used to create a sense of authenticity around the brand.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/835/0*kw6pUKRv3wdSII1V." width="835" height="274" loading="lazy" />
<p>Jeff:</p>
<p>Another user we wanted to make sure we supported was a more habitual coffee drinker, who already appreciated Intelligentsia’s brand. We examined how he interacted with the cafe, the mobile app, events, and coffee subscriptions.</p>
<p><strong>Sketching, Ideation, and Prototypes:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Empowering and supporting the user through specialty coffee in the everyday:</strong></p>
<p><em>“I feel overwhelmed by all the choices at fancier places like La Colombe or Gaslight. And when I didn’t get what I wanted, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Metaphorically and literally.” — Lyann</em></p>
<p><strong>Initial Sketches:</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*-EeLO3JdcopFw-8_." width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*lMKVEGjB80DW3tXf." width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>What we landed on:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>A coffee cheat sheet</li>
<li>Redesigning the brewing guide on the website and mobile to make it more accessible to newcomers.</li>
<li>Brewing guide on the coffee bag redesign</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Creating a more cohesive and visible coffee community through specialty coffee in the everyday:</strong></p>
<p>“<em>I had no idea there were roastery tours- I would totally go on those”</em></p>
<p><em>- Intelligentsia coffeeshop patron</em></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1550/0*pDAu6XKvdIidMjAQ." width="1550" height="1441" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Initial Sketches:</strong></p>
<p>We played with ideas like adding events to the bottom of the menu and in-store, how events could be more visible on the website and the mobile app.</p>
<p><strong>What we determined to design:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>To make events more visible to users, through signage in-store and online</li>
<li>To create the ability to purchase and save events on mobile and on the website</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Building on user’s existing rituals to create a deeper connection with specialty coffee:</strong></p>
<p><em>“Having a connection with the people making my coffee seems important to me.”</em></p>
<p><em>- Deanna</em></p>
<p><em>“My boyfriend and I went to Costa Rica last spring, and he fell in love with the coffee, so now he orders this special Costa Rican coffee off the internet and brews it in his Breville coffeemaker.”</em></p>
<p><em>-Coffee-shop patron</em></p>
<p><strong>Initial Sketches:</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/950/0*xZrpo6HhqWYnNE8m." width="950" height="1600" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>What we designed:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Connecting people to the sourcing of their coffee through the coffee bag redesign and coffee sleeve.</li>
<li>Making a brewing guide to build on existing knowledge</li>
<li>Creating a profile for users to easily manage their personal coffee subscriptions</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Extend the escape to an adventure:</strong></p>
<p><em>“I usually take coffee as a pause. It’s hard to type stuff and drink coffee simultaneously. It’s an opportunity to stop and collect thoughts while you’re going on to the next sentence, paragraph or thought.”</em></p>
<p><em>- Howard</em></p>
<p><strong>Initial Sketches:</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*VZiyobpcpffhkydC." width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>What we landed on:</strong></p>
<p>We found through reflection and testing that our design directive of creating an “adventure” for the user led to more stress, and got in the way of them having the escape that they were looking for. So we put these ideas aside for now, but in future iterations we would like to return to the insight.</p>
<p><strong>The Final Prototypes:</strong></p>
<p>The website can be found <a href="https://invis.io/N89NWK8EZ">here</a>, the app can be found <a href="https://invis.io/A79OTBUJ4#/210709077_App_Landing_Page">here</a></p>
<p>We decided that to best serve the user, we should create a multi-channel design, with the following platforms:</p>
<ul>
<li>The cafe experience</li>
<li>The grocery store experience</li>
<li>A redesign of the website</li>
<li>A redesign of their mobile app</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Cafe Experience:</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/686/0*HvRJ6FiK_XLDxYcx." width="686" height="426" loading="lazy" />
<p>The in-cafe experience was re-designed to alleviate stress for a new coffee drinker, connect users to learning events, and introduce home brewing methods.</p>
<p><em>Alleviating stress:</em> A user entering the cafe would have immediate access to a menu from a stand placed just beyond the entrance. The menu would have a quick guide to coffee types, helping to alleviate any anxiety about ordering by giving a user more time with the menu alongside easily digestible information. Additionally, a larger menu, with the same information, would be printed legibly behind the baristas, making sure ordering information is accessible for all.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/642/0*aGSpIjETCdyhASlK." width="642" height="497" loading="lazy" />
<p><em>Learning about events: </em>For customers waiting to meet a friend or simply waiting for their coffee to be brewed, small table toppers with information on upcoming events would be available at each table and by the creamer.</p>
<p><em>Introducing home brewing methods: </em>An LCD screen with closed captions would be placed by the brewing equipment, with videos already developed by Intelligentsia (for reference, see <a href="https://vimeo.com/50699857">here</a>). These videos would provide context for the equipment, help users visualize how they could use that equipment at home, and appreciate the craft behind the cup they are purchasing that day.</p>
<p><strong>The Grocery Experience:</strong></p>
<p>With expanded distribution through Peets Coffee, many users would encounter Intelligentsia for the first time in the aisle of a Target or Whole Foods. Our redesign was based on creating this first impression through the packaging of Intelligentsia coffee. Through the redesign, we set out to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Create more of a connection with the coffee growers through images of the farmers and a description of the farming process</li>
<li>Add a hand-placed sticker with an image and name of the person who roasted that bag of coffee.</li>
<li>Build awareness of various coffee brewing methods</li>
</ul>
</section>
|
UXDI project 3
The Initial Problem:
We were tasked with the following brief:
“Intelligentsia Coffee finds it tricky to compete in the coffee industry, particularly in a city like Chicago where there are many great caffeination options for consumers. Intelligentsia needs a way to hold onto current customers and gain new ones. . . They need a way to make the Intelligentsia coffee experience more relevant and beneficial for users.”
About Intelligentsia:
Intelligentsia was founded in 1995 as an effort to provide local, delicious, freshly roasted coffee. It has since expanded from a small in-cafe roaster to a national brand with award winning cafes located in five cities, barista training, and award winning coffee that can be shipped nationally.
In October of 2015 Peet’s Coffee & Tea bought out Intelligentsia Coffee. While Intelligentsia will ostensibly keep their independence, they benefit from Peet’s distribution model, placing them in Targets and Whole Foods across the nation.
How They Reach Their Audience:
Intelligentsia Cafes:
Intelligentsia has cafes and roasting locations in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Chicago, with their greatest concentration of cafes in their hometown of Chicago. These cafes have expertly trained and award-winning baristas. They are seen by the business as an entry point to educate the public about great coffee.
Other restaurants and cafes:
Intelligentsia sources their beans to restaurants and cafes around the country, offering full support and trainings to cafe staff located by any of the Intelligentsia cafes.
National single-home buyers:
Recently bought out by Peet’s Coffee, Intelligentsia can now be found on the shelves of Target and Whole Food stores across the country. Additionally, coffee bought on their website can be roasted fresh and shipped immediately.
Research: The Experience for Current Customers:
Conducted using in-cafe interviews, one-on-one interviews and user testing in an informal environment, and heuristic analysis.
On their app:
Current features of the app include:
An overview of all the coffee beans Intelligentsia offers, linked to store
A wordy coffee brewing guide combined with a timer and a guide to determine coffee-to-water ratios.
An “about” section, with the Intelligentsia story and their cafe locations.
On the web:
Their website has a confusing landing page, similar to the app, with coffee bean types laid out in tiles. Events and educational opportunities are buried under two to three clicks, as are individual coffee subscriptions. They seem to struggle with which audience to address: individual consumers or businesses.
In store:
The in-store experience is a generally positive experience for users. Those who are in line are happy to wait for their coffee, and seem to appreciate the quality of the beverage they received. A couple users were observed photographing the latte art at the bar because “it is beautiful,” suggesting that Intelligentsia cafes are succeeding in providing a good product both in terms of aesthetic and taste.
Pain points for users:
Intimidation or a sense of not knowing enough to order well.
Users were not aware of events.
Users did not interact with any of the home brewing merchandise.
Research: Competitive Analysis:
For the second half of the research, we wanted to know what the Intelligentsia market positioning was. We split the market into four different segments for the coffee industry: national, independent, premium and standard. We concluded Intelligentsia was a national brand that is premium but has an independent feel from its consumers.
As Intelligentsia is moving from the local arena to the national, we did in-store interviews with other national competitors Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. We heard from consumers at both Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks that the convenience was much more important than taste.
In one-on-one sit down interviews, users mentioned the importance of supporting independent coffeeshops to increase neighborhood vitality. Additionally users stated that there was more assurance that the coffee would taste good at independent coffeeshops.
Findings:
From our one-on-one sit down interviews, in-cafe interviews, user testing, and heuristic analysis.
Insights, or deeper observations from our research
1) Coffee brings together people from all backgrounds
2) People find comfort in familiarity & consistency of quality.
3) People want to fit in while still being able to customize an experience to their wants & needs
4) Intimidation and overwhelming information causes visitors to have a poor experience.
6) Coffee is an escape: a break from the screen, a walk to a cafe as a work break and special treat, a place to work outside of home while still feeling at home.
7) Coffee can either be a meaningful ritual or it can be a habit of convenience.
8) There is a continuum of coffee expertise which can impact how guests enjoy specialty coffee.
Design Directives, or how we determined we should redesign the experience
1) Empower and support users to both try and learn more about coffee, from the beans, the brewing, to the beverage.
(Based on Insight 3, Insight 4, Insight 7, Insight 8)
2) Create a more cohesive and visible coffee community at Intelligentsia
(Based on Insight 1, Insight 3, Insight 4)
3) Build on user’s existing rituals to create a deeper connection with coffee
(Based on Insight 7)
4) Support and enhance the user’s escape through coffee.
(Based on Insight 6)
Design Solution, or what we determined we should design
Bring the special of specialty coffee to the everyday through increased accessibility, education, and community-building.
How we set about solving the problem:
Personas:
We each created a persona to help us examine different coffee expertise, learning styles, and motivations for drinking coffee.
Brainstorming together:
To practice rapid ideation, we pulled in another team from our class to help us think through our design directives. We presented them with our personas, and asked “how might we. . . .” questions relating to our design directives to get our brains quickly working and problem solving.
User Journeys:
We took a stab at user journeys as a group, and tried to imagine how our personas might interact with Intelligentsia. We struggled here with balancing wishful business thinking with how a user might actually progress through their day. Due to time limitations, we hadn’t followed a user through their daily routines around coffee. Future iterations should take this into account to further test how seamlessly the app and website could fit into users lives.
Keana:
Part of our design was geared towards enhancing the experience for people who enjoyed coffee but did not have a lot of knowledge about specialty coffee. From this, we created our persona Keana who was a young, single, average coffee drinker who became anxious and overwhelmed by the terminology of their menu. We wanted to touch on this pain point as we found that in store users often didn’t know what to order under pressure. We used Keana to display how the cheat sheet on our menu would alleviate this pain point. Next, we wanted to display how a user might find information about events during their in store experience. We used Keana’s date to explain that she would be able to find information on events when sitting at a table in the cafe. Last, Keana was then able to display our coffee cup design which was used to create a sense of authenticity around the brand.
Jeff:
Another user we wanted to make sure we supported was a more habitual coffee drinker, who already appreciated Intelligentsia’s brand. We examined how he interacted with the cafe, the mobile app, events, and coffee subscriptions.
Sketching, Ideation, and Prototypes:
Empowering and supporting the user through specialty coffee in the everyday:
“I feel overwhelmed by all the choices at fancier places like La Colombe or Gaslight. And when I didn’t get what I wanted, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Metaphorically and literally.” — Lyann
Initial Sketches:
What we landed on:
A coffee cheat sheet
Redesigning the brewing guide on the website and mobile to make it more accessible to newcomers.
Brewing guide on the coffee bag redesign
Creating a more cohesive and visible coffee community through specialty coffee in the everyday:
“I had no idea there were roastery tours- I would totally go on those”
- Intelligentsia coffeeshop patron
Initial Sketches:
We played with ideas like adding events to the bottom of the menu and in-store, how events could be more visible on the website and the mobile app.
What we determined to design:
To make events more visible to users, through signage in-store and online
To create the ability to purchase and save events on mobile and on the website
Building on user’s existing rituals to create a deeper connection with specialty coffee:
“Having a connection with the people making my coffee seems important to me.”
- Deanna
“My boyfriend and I went to Costa Rica last spring, and he fell in love with the coffee, so now he orders this special Costa Rican coffee off the internet and brews it in his Breville coffeemaker.”
-Coffee-shop patron
Initial Sketches:
What we designed:
Connecting people to the sourcing of their coffee through the coffee bag redesign and coffee sleeve.
Making a brewing guide to build on existing knowledge
Creating a profile for users to easily manage their personal coffee subscriptions
Extend the escape to an adventure:
“I usually take coffee as a pause. It’s hard to type stuff and drink coffee simultaneously. It’s an opportunity to stop and collect thoughts while you’re going on to the next sentence, paragraph or thought.”
- Howard
Initial Sketches:
What we landed on:
We found through reflection and testing that our design directive of creating an “adventure” for the user led to more stress, and got in the way of them having the escape that they were looking for. So we put these ideas aside for now, but in future iterations we would like to return to the insight.
The Final Prototypes:
The website can be found here, the app can be found here
We decided that to best serve the user, we should create a multi-channel design, with the following platforms:
The cafe experience
The grocery store experience
A redesign of the website
A redesign of their mobile app
The Cafe Experience:
The in-cafe experience was re-designed to alleviate stress for a new coffee drinker, connect users to learning events, and introduce home brewing methods.
Alleviating stress: A user entering the cafe would have immediate access to a menu from a stand placed just beyond the entrance. The menu would have a quick guide to coffee types, helping to alleviate any anxiety about ordering by giving a user more time with the menu alongside easily digestible information. Additionally, a larger menu, with the same information, would be printed legibly behind the baristas, making sure ordering information is accessible for all.
Learning about events: For customers waiting to meet a friend or simply waiting for their coffee to be brewed, small table toppers with information on upcoming events would be available at each table and by the creamer.
Introducing home brewing methods: An LCD screen with closed captions would be placed by the brewing equipment, with videos already developed by Intelligentsia (for reference, see here). These videos would provide context for the equipment, help users visualize how they could use that equipment at home, and appreciate the craft behind the cup they are purchasing that day.
The Grocery Experience:
With expanded distribution through Peets Coffee, many users would encounter Intelligentsia for the first time in the aisle of a Target or Whole Foods. Our redesign was based on creating this first impression through the packaging of Intelligentsia coffee. Through the redesign, we set out to:
Create more of a connection with the coffee growers through images of the farmers and a description of the farming process
Add a hand-placed sticker with an image and name of the person who roasted that bag of coffee.
Build awareness of various coffee brewing methods
|
be3244a4-0de1-5378-99c9-1ea2c75ad30f
|
25/08/2025 16:02:53
|
https://donjoeyspeaks.medium.com/watts-bots-1-april-6-12-2025-54d82cf308eb
|
medium.com
|
Watts & Bots #1: April 5–12, 2025
|
Weekly observations in autonomous energy systems across North America & Africa.
|
Joey Onwughalu
|
https://medium.com/@donjoeyspeaks
|
54d82cf308eb
|
4 min
|
2025-04-13T19:33:34.565000
|
2025-04-13T19:40:19.018000
|
2025-04-27T19:22:43.543000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Energy,Technology
|
<section>
<h1>Watts & Bots #1: April 5–12, 2025</h1>
<p><em>Weekly observations in autonomous energy systems across North America & Africa.</em></p>
<p><strong>TL;DR</strong></p>
<p>The recent trade war has served as a wake-up call — an urgent reminder that nations must reexamine their trade and productivity practices to focus on localized systems that benefit their own people. While shock-and-awe tariff announcements triggered trillions in capital movements, forward-thinking leaders stayed the course by advancing technology and energy solutions for humanity’s benefit. Last week’s recap reveals a paradigm shift that forces us to explore innovative, localized investment opportunities — ranging from renewables and mini-grids to blockchain-based energy trading, which is emerging as a viable new income source.</p>
<p>Decision-makers now need to anticipate the shifting talent, infrastructure, and labor needs in each region. Strategic planning, robust urban development, and proactive policy formation are key to harnessing these opportunities. In essence, the current environment challenges us to rethink our approach, build local resilience, and empower communities by integrating advanced tech into our energy systems and economic strategies.</p>
<h2>Where’s Wattage?</h2>
<p>The week spanning from April 6 to 12 saw advancements in self-sustaining energy systems across both the United States and Africa. In the United States, utility companies are utilizing AI to enhance the management of power grids. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/google/">Google</a> is testing AI technology with grid operator <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pjm-interconnection/">PJM Interconnection</a> to expedite the process of establishing power connections; this represents a significant milestone as AI steps into managing grid interconnections for the very first time.</p>
<p>The increase in electricity usage is driven by data centers and other tech industries, leading policymakers to consider approaches to ensure reliability. At the same time, the demand for large-scale batteries is growing rapidly. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/gridstor/">GridStor</a> recently finalized securing a battery storage project in Texas for a 150 MW / 300 MWh storage facility to support the grid as industrial energy requirements rise (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ercot/">ERCOT</a> forecasts a ~50% increase in peak load by 2030).</p>
<p>Moreover, African countries are making strides in renewable energy innovations on a large scale. South Africa has initiated a 2030 Renewable Energy Plan that enhances clean power generation and storage while promoting green hydrogen development in various sectors, like aviation and maritime. Morocco is also making significant progress in expanding its solar energy projects, including cutting-edge CSP facilities, as it works towards achieving 52% renewable energy by 2030. These initiatives are paving the way for advanced energy systems that will support industries and urban areas in Africa.</p>
<p>In parts of Nigeria’s countryside where roads don’t reach, off-grid solar initiatives are being explored to provide electricity. Mini-grids, similar to the one in Mbiabet village, Akwa-Ibom state, are bringing power to communities at a much lower cost compared to expanding the national grid. Experts suggest that to bring electricity to the continent effectively and sustainably, substantial investments in renewable energy micro-grids are essential, according to a cited source discussing the importance of solar mini-grids for climate and livelihood improvements in Africa. Nigeria’s effort to implement mini-grids showcases the potential for community-based systems to surpass conventional grids and provide energy access to underserved regions.</p>
<h2>I like big bots, and I cannot lie.</h2>
<p>The latest technologies — like AI and blockchain — are increasingly integrated into manufacturing and urban development operations. The landscape is changing as these innovations impact infrastructure and energy consumption trends. In the United States, AI-powered automation is enhancing efficiency while driving an increase in electricity demand due to data-dependent AI servers and robotic systems in manufacturing plants and cloud facilities.</p>
<p>The government has made some occasionally controversial decisions in response to this surge; for instance, the expansion of coal as an energy source and keeping existing power plants operational to meet growing AI data center needs. Tech also plays a role in solving these challenges by using Grid AI to predict demand and utilize energy resources efficiently. Furthermore, blockchain technology is being tested for energy markets to enable buildings to trade solar power directly with each other.</p>
<p>Across Africa and beyond, the adoption of automation is seen as essential for economic progress. Currently, less than 1% of global industrial robots are in use on the continent, but momentum is building. Smart factories and AI-managed systems in emerging markets could accelerate progress if supported by effective policies. Experts highlight that unlike our Western counterparts, automation in Africa goes beyond improving efficiency; The focus is also on ensuring stability. This approach is motivating tech hubs and industries across Africa to adopt AI and IoT solutions that address energy requirements — such as implementing sensors to reduce waste or utilizing AI for managing power fluctuations and load shedding.</p>
<h2>Intelligent Interconnects</h2>
<p>The combination of independent energy systems and advanced technology is shaping a compelling narrative. The transition towards energy involves more than just solar panels or batteries, and technological advancements extend beyond simple applications or robotics. Significant changes occur at the intersection of these elements. Intelligent grids will support city development, while AI and automation will assist utility companies in managing the challenges associated with decentralized, eco-friendly energy sources. Envision AI optimizing factory power usage in sync with micro-grids and alternative energy sources to maximize efficiency, or self-driving vehicles serving as supplementary storage for urban grid needs!</p>
<p>However, challenges remain. Decision-makers across various sectors — energy regulators, urban planners, and tech experts — must collaborate to create regulations and incentives that facilitate progress. Emphasis should also be placed on developing skills so workers can operate and maintain AI-enhanced power systems and automated factories. Both in the United States and Africa, leaders face the challenge of expanding these innovations inclusively, ensuring that advanced technology benefits not only urban centers but also reaches under-served regions.</p>
<p>With the use of AI technology now in place, we can actually progress from just talking about concepts to taking concrete actions in grid modernization. This moment reflects years of anticipation now transformed into tangible action, reminding city planners and strategists that integrating energy and technology is both practical and imperative for shaping tomorrow’s world.</p>
</section>
|
Watts & Bots #1: April 5–12, 2025
Weekly observations in autonomous energy systems across North America & Africa.
TL;DR
The recent trade war has served as a wake-up call — an urgent reminder that nations must reexamine their trade and productivity practices to focus on localized systems that benefit their own people. While shock-and-awe tariff announcements triggered trillions in capital movements, forward-thinking leaders stayed the course by advancing technology and energy solutions for humanity’s benefit. Last week’s recap reveals a paradigm shift that forces us to explore innovative, localized investment opportunities — ranging from renewables and mini-grids to blockchain-based energy trading, which is emerging as a viable new income source.
Decision-makers now need to anticipate the shifting talent, infrastructure, and labor needs in each region. Strategic planning, robust urban development, and proactive policy formation are key to harnessing these opportunities. In essence, the current environment challenges us to rethink our approach, build local resilience, and empower communities by integrating advanced tech into our energy systems and economic strategies.
Where’s Wattage?
The week spanning from April 6 to 12 saw advancements in self-sustaining energy systems across both the United States and Africa. In the United States, utility companies are utilizing AI to enhance the management of power grids. Google is testing AI technology with grid operator PJM Interconnection to expedite the process of establishing power connections; this represents a significant milestone as AI steps into managing grid interconnections for the very first time.
The increase in electricity usage is driven by data centers and other tech industries, leading policymakers to consider approaches to ensure reliability. At the same time, the demand for large-scale batteries is growing rapidly. GridStor recently finalized securing a battery storage project in Texas for a 150 MW / 300 MWh storage facility to support the grid as industrial energy requirements rise (ERCOT forecasts a ~50% increase in peak load by 2030).
Moreover, African countries are making strides in renewable energy innovations on a large scale. South Africa has initiated a 2030 Renewable Energy Plan that enhances clean power generation and storage while promoting green hydrogen development in various sectors, like aviation and maritime. Morocco is also making significant progress in expanding its solar energy projects, including cutting-edge CSP facilities, as it works towards achieving 52% renewable energy by 2030. These initiatives are paving the way for advanced energy systems that will support industries and urban areas in Africa.
In parts of Nigeria’s countryside where roads don’t reach, off-grid solar initiatives are being explored to provide electricity. Mini-grids, similar to the one in Mbiabet village, Akwa-Ibom state, are bringing power to communities at a much lower cost compared to expanding the national grid. Experts suggest that to bring electricity to the continent effectively and sustainably, substantial investments in renewable energy micro-grids are essential, according to a cited source discussing the importance of solar mini-grids for climate and livelihood improvements in Africa. Nigeria’s effort to implement mini-grids showcases the potential for community-based systems to surpass conventional grids and provide energy access to underserved regions.
I like big bots, and I cannot lie.
The latest technologies — like AI and blockchain — are increasingly integrated into manufacturing and urban development operations. The landscape is changing as these innovations impact infrastructure and energy consumption trends. In the United States, AI-powered automation is enhancing efficiency while driving an increase in electricity demand due to data-dependent AI servers and robotic systems in manufacturing plants and cloud facilities.
The government has made some occasionally controversial decisions in response to this surge; for instance, the expansion of coal as an energy source and keeping existing power plants operational to meet growing AI data center needs. Tech also plays a role in solving these challenges by using Grid AI to predict demand and utilize energy resources efficiently. Furthermore, blockchain technology is being tested for energy markets to enable buildings to trade solar power directly with each other.
Across Africa and beyond, the adoption of automation is seen as essential for economic progress. Currently, less than 1% of global industrial robots are in use on the continent, but momentum is building. Smart factories and AI-managed systems in emerging markets could accelerate progress if supported by effective policies. Experts highlight that unlike our Western counterparts, automation in Africa goes beyond improving efficiency; The focus is also on ensuring stability. This approach is motivating tech hubs and industries across Africa to adopt AI and IoT solutions that address energy requirements — such as implementing sensors to reduce waste or utilizing AI for managing power fluctuations and load shedding.
Intelligent Interconnects
The combination of independent energy systems and advanced technology is shaping a compelling narrative. The transition towards energy involves more than just solar panels or batteries, and technological advancements extend beyond simple applications or robotics. Significant changes occur at the intersection of these elements. Intelligent grids will support city development, while AI and automation will assist utility companies in managing the challenges associated with decentralized, eco-friendly energy sources. Envision AI optimizing factory power usage in sync with micro-grids and alternative energy sources to maximize efficiency, or self-driving vehicles serving as supplementary storage for urban grid needs!
However, challenges remain. Decision-makers across various sectors — energy regulators, urban planners, and tech experts — must collaborate to create regulations and incentives that facilitate progress. Emphasis should also be placed on developing skills so workers can operate and maintain AI-enhanced power systems and automated factories. Both in the United States and Africa, leaders face the challenge of expanding these innovations inclusively, ensuring that advanced technology benefits not only urban centers but also reaches under-served regions.
With the use of AI technology now in place, we can actually progress from just talking about concepts to taking concrete actions in grid modernization. This moment reflects years of anticipation now transformed into tangible action, reminding city planners and strategists that integrating energy and technology is both practical and imperative for shaping tomorrow’s world.
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3f010feb-8617-5aa2-a2cb-0b3c537f0cd2
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25/08/2025 16:02:53
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https://the-citizen.medium.com/why-does-evo-not-return-to-bolivia-for-the-inauguration-of-luis-arce-606a831134bd
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medium.com
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Why does Evo not return to Bolivia for the inauguration of Luis Arce?
|
In an interview with BBC Mundo, Morales stated that he will return to his country on November 11, three days after his political partner…
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The Citizen
|
https://medium.com/@the-citizen
|
606a831134bd
|
9 min
|
2020-11-05T00:50:58.890000
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2020-11-05T00:57:53.547000
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2022-03-30T21:17:09.105000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Bolivia,Evo Morales,Luis Arce,Democracy,Elections
|
<section>
<p><em>In an interview with BBC Mundo, Morales stated that he will return to his country on November 11, three days after his political partner takes office as the new head of State</em></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1055/0*8J-vq4xkWrEtBCn_.jpg" width="1055" height="591" loading="lazy" />
<p>Evo Morales was president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia between 2006 and 2019. In November of that year, he was the victim of a coup that forced him to flee the country, after death threats were made against him. That event gave way to the dictatorship of the ultra-Catholic Jeanine Áñez, which will end this Sunday, November 8.</p>
<p>The end of the de facto government of Áñez comes with the assumption of Luis Arce as president-elect. Arce, who was Morales’ minister of economy for many years, won the recent elections with more than 55% of the total vote.</p>
<p>However, in an interview with<em> BBC Mundo</em>, Morales stated that he will return to his country on November 11. three days after his political partner takes office as the new head of State.</p>
<p>In the interview, the leader of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) and Aymara indigenous leader, stressed that he will not have a leading role in the Arce government. The new president is considered a leader who is prepared, loyal and capable of repairing the damage caused by the Áñez regime in just one year.</p>
<p>In that sense, he stressed that his main function, now, will be to dedicate himself to the formation of new social and political leaders for the Plurinational Revolution. His desire is to ensure that political leaders emerge that can maintain the development and stability of the country, achieved during his presidency.</p>
<p>Likewise, he stated that in his personal life he will dedicate himself to raising a fish called tambaquí (pacú, in other regions). It is a business venture that he will do in El Charape, a jungle area located in the center of Bolivia. It was in that region that the movement of coca leaf producers emerged which made him president.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/880/0*e6X2AObe3rPyZMzC.jpg" width="880" height="495" loading="lazy" />
<h1>The<em> BBC Mundo </em>interview with Evo Morales</h1>
<p><strong>How did you feel when you knew the results of the election on October 18 when your political party won?</strong></p>
<p>I knew that we were going to win with more than 50%. From the first moment I felt that there was a lot of spontaneity and a lot of commitment. Furthermore, after the economic crisis caused by the de facto government … ‘With Evo and with the process of change we were better’. Now, how is the economic situation? This result is the best proof that there was no fraud last year, there was a coup.</p>
<p><strong>Do you attribute the victory of Luis Arce to the management of the transitory government of Jeanine Áñez or to the popular support that your political party has?</strong></p>
<p>Those are two things. The support of the people is thanks to more than 13 years of management (of Morales) with economic growth, poverty reduction and economic movement. The people recognize that last year with Evo Morales they were better than now.</p>
<p>Second, it is clear that the management of the government (of Añez) is bad. The comrades were saying ‘Out Áñez and out Arturo Murillo’ (Minister of Government). I told them: Murillo is our campaign manager, we don’t have to tell him to leave. And Áñez can stay as long as she guarantees elections. The people understood perfectly and we won in the first round.</p>
<p><strong>Mr. Luis Arce won this year with 55% of the votes, you had 47% of the votes last year. Doesn’t that mean that you had generated rejection in Bolivia?</strong></p>
<p>Anyone can have their own reading. But my reading is that there is a movement, there is a hard vote. That vote is precisely because of the results of past administrations.</p>
<p>Second, last year I would also have taken more than 50% of the votes. It was my estimate. We were surprised by Chi (Chi Hyun Chung, a conservative candidate who in 2019 obtained almost 9% of the vote). I said in the cabinet that Chi was going to take away our vote. I want to tell it very sincerely, we were divided. Some said he was going to take votes from the right, I said he was going to take the vote from us.</p>
<p>I don’t remember what position Lucho Arce had on that, but some ministers said that Chi was going to take votes from the right. That was the discussion in the cabinet. Obviously, we must recognize that so many years of governmental management, so much ‘dirty war’ and lies wore us down. But the people were not wrong, we must continue with the process of change.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/750/0*pDip-aOU05T6W_42.jpg" width="750" height="500" loading="lazy" />
<h2>Evo: “The people were right”</h2>
<p><strong>Aren’t these results proof that it was time to retire last year instead of going to a fourth election?</strong></p>
<p>I was convinced. You can review my press conferences, I said that I was finishing my term, and I was going back to my ‘<em>chaco’</em> (plot of land) to work. All the social and militant movements said that continuity was important due to the results we had. I accepted, it wasn’t that I decided. I was asked to do it. And now you can see that the people were right.</p>
<p><strong>You came to admit that perhaps it was a mistake to force one more reelection …</strong></p>
<p>After the coup, I said that obviously maybe. But now when we see the economic situation of the country, we see that the people were right.</p>
<p>The people know. The pandemic? I would have been fighting the pandemic with Cuba and China. First class equipment. The people were right.</p>
<p><strong>What do you think of all the voices that ask for renewal? Something that is pointed out as a factor in the electoral victory like the one you had. You were told to change the leaders and even to displace some of your closest advisers.</strong></p>
<p>I think some colleagues are wrong. They say no to the people who have surrounded me, but Lucho Arce and David Choquehuanca (former chancellor and vice-president-elect) have been two of the people that have lasted the longest with me. Third was Juan Ramón (Quintana, former Minister of the Presidency) and Roberto Aguilar (former Minister of Education).</p>
<p>Those are the people that surround me. The first is Lucho, the second is David. There are some internal problems. A confusion. I hope to return to clarify, to align. In my experience, it is necessary to combine founders, former authorities and greater opportunity for the new generations.</p>
<p><strong>What do you prefer, a government made up of social organizations or one that has a strong presence of sectors of the middle class such as your cabinet?</strong></p>
<p>You have to do a combination. Middle class, social movements and from the regions. Some colleagues question me about the “guests”. I integrated. To be an elected or appointed authority you do not always have to be a leader or ex-leader.</p>
<p>Túpac Katari said in colonial times that ‘mestizos’ (people born from one indigenous person and a foreign person) and ‘criollos’ (People who are born in Bolivia but their parents were foreign) should organize themselves to fight together for our territory. It’s what I do.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/750/0*IYINv9s61ZvJhF92.jpg" width="750" height="490" loading="lazy" />
<h2>“I go back to my chaco”</h2>
<p><strong>The vice-president-elect David Choquehuanca said that social organizations have asked that the “guests” do not return, the people that surrounded you …</strong></p>
<p>Well, it surprises me. I have not heard that. Again I say, who is David? who is Lucho? They are the people that surrounded me. They are the deans of the people that surrounded me.</p>
<p><strong>How do you feel, now that you are not the protagonist of Bolivia after practically being the center of politics? How does it feel to play such a role?</strong></p>
<p>I was convinced that sooner or later it had to arrive, that I had to go to my farm. That is normal. It is not that Evo wanted to be reelected. 5,000 leaders asked that Evo be empowered to give continuity because it has given results. The people were not wrong in saying that Evo continue.</p>
<p>Now I go back to my chaco, in the Chapare. There, I return to my land and that will be my task.</p>
<p><strong>Are you planting coca again?</strong></p>
<p>I’m going to dedicate myself to tambaquí (river fish also called pacú), to have a tambaquí pool. My companions are doing well with tambaquí pools. In eight months you have $ 5,000 of net income.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/0*rYJhL3OmBzFNRibX.jpg" width="1024" height="645" loading="lazy" />
<h2>Lucho has to be the protagonist</h2>
<p><strong>You said you were going to return to Bolivia immediately after the victory of Luis Arce, but the leader of your political party, Andrónico Rodríguez, said it will be later. When do you plan to return to Bolivia?</strong></p>
<p>First I want to thank brother President Alberto Fernández who offered to take me to Bolivia. I imagine that he is going to the inauguration (November 8). There, the comrade Lucho Arce has to be the protagonist. I can’t take the limelight, I’m staying.</p>
<p>After, it is planned, they are organizing it. It is my wish. I will be back on November 11. On the 11th (November 2019) I left Chimoré (the forest area which is Morales’ territory) to save my life and on the 11th I will return alive to Chimoré.</p>
<p><strong>Then, you return exactly one year after your departure …</strong></p>
<p>That is it. Well planned. Thanks to Pachamama and thanks to God.</p>
<p><strong>Will you enter by land?</strong></p>
<p>It is up for debate, but we will arrive the same day.</p>
<p><strong>It is said that you are going to dedicate yourself to forming social and political leaders. Isn’t that some kind of retirement? Don’t you have aspirations to be president again?</strong></p>
<p>I don’t have those aspirations. But yes, now with more experience I want to share my trade union struggle as a leader, share my experience of managing the Plurinational State as former president. Last night I was already in a workshop with young people. That will be my task.</p>
<p><strong>Does that mean that Evo Morales is over as a candidate for any office?</strong></p>
<p>I do not have it in my plans, I return to my ‘chaco’ to share my experience.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/750/0*RGOTwoiKjkvQP4MP.jpg" width="750" height="421" loading="lazy" />
<h2>Caring for Lucho and the process of change</h2>
<p><strong>In an interview with the <em>BBC</em>, President-elect Luis Arce stated that you were not going to be part of his government. What do you think of what</strong> he says?</p>
<p>I never thought about it. I told Lucho Arce that I’m not going to be a part of it, that they should not take me into account. It does not correspond to me.</p>
<p>I talked at length about how to share experiences, although he has a lot of experience in public management. My task will be from the social movements, how to take care of the ideological principles of the party. Take care of Lucho and the process of change.</p>
<p><strong>So, how much ‘political weight’ is Evo Morales going to have in the coming years and in the next government?</strong></p>
<p>Nothing. I asked not to do anything. I will not suggest any name for minister. The election of ministers is the responsibility of the president. Not because I am president of the party or campaign manager, I can be imposing. I am not going to do it. I know the president needs trustworthy people.</p>
<p>I recommend to the social movements, to the militants, not to try to impose ministers. Let brother Lucho organize.</p>
<p><strong>You knew Rafael Correa very closely, aren’t you afraid that Luis Arce will become a Lenin Moreno?</strong></p>
<p>I am very confident and I don’t even think that. He has ideological training, he comes from the Socialist Party and later he joined the Movement for Socialism (a party led by Morales). We have united all the left wing parties. If I contributed something, it was to unite, unite and unite.</p>
<p><strong>Juan Manuel Santos is another example with the break with Álvaro Uribe in Colombia …</strong></p>
<p>Lucho comes from a well-known left-wing party in his time. I have no concerns about this, at all.</p>
<h2>You must read now…</h2>
<p><strong><a href="https://the-citizen.medium.com/</strong>will-covid-19-become-an-endemic-disease-723593c9c8fa">Will COVID-19 become an endemic disease?
<em>With SARS-COV-2, some cases of reinfection have been documented. However, it is not yet known with certainty how common…</em>the-citizen.m</a>edium.com</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://the-citizen.medium.com/macron-declared-the-axis-of-evil-in-the-ara</strong>b-world-what-did-he-do-to-deserve-it-6f642d649859">Macron declared the “axis of evil” in the Arab world: What did he do to deserve it?
<em>The presidente has since been described as mentally ill by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. From Syria to…</em>the-citizen.m</a>edium.com</p>
</section>
|
Why does Evo not return to Bolivia for the inauguration of Luis Arce?
In an interview with BBC Mundo, Morales stated that he will return to his country on November 11, three days after his political partner takes office as the new head of State
Evo Morales was president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia between 2006 and 2019. In November of that year, he was the victim of a coup that forced him to flee the country, after death threats were made against him. That event gave way to the dictatorship of the ultra-Catholic Jeanine Áñez, which will end this Sunday, November 8.
The end of the de facto government of Áñez comes with the assumption of Luis Arce as president-elect. Arce, who was Morales’ minister of economy for many years, won the recent elections with more than 55% of the total vote.
However, in an interview with BBC Mundo, Morales stated that he will return to his country on November 11. three days after his political partner takes office as the new head of State.
In the interview, the leader of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) and Aymara indigenous leader, stressed that he will not have a leading role in the Arce government. The new president is considered a leader who is prepared, loyal and capable of repairing the damage caused by the Áñez regime in just one year.
In that sense, he stressed that his main function, now, will be to dedicate himself to the formation of new social and political leaders for the Plurinational Revolution. His desire is to ensure that political leaders emerge that can maintain the development and stability of the country, achieved during his presidency.
Likewise, he stated that in his personal life he will dedicate himself to raising a fish called tambaquí (pacú, in other regions). It is a business venture that he will do in El Charape, a jungle area located in the center of Bolivia. It was in that region that the movement of coca leaf producers emerged which made him president.
The BBC Mundo interview with Evo Morales
How did you feel when you knew the results of the election on October 18 when your political party won?
I knew that we were going to win with more than 50%. From the first moment I felt that there was a lot of spontaneity and a lot of commitment. Furthermore, after the economic crisis caused by the de facto government … ‘With Evo and with the process of change we were better’. Now, how is the economic situation? This result is the best proof that there was no fraud last year, there was a coup.
Do you attribute the victory of Luis Arce to the management of the transitory government of Jeanine Áñez or to the popular support that your political party has?
Those are two things. The support of the people is thanks to more than 13 years of management (of Morales) with economic growth, poverty reduction and economic movement. The people recognize that last year with Evo Morales they were better than now.
Second, it is clear that the management of the government (of Añez) is bad. The comrades were saying ‘Out Áñez and out Arturo Murillo’ (Minister of Government). I told them: Murillo is our campaign manager, we don’t have to tell him to leave. And Áñez can stay as long as she guarantees elections. The people understood perfectly and we won in the first round.
Mr. Luis Arce won this year with 55% of the votes, you had 47% of the votes last year. Doesn’t that mean that you had generated rejection in Bolivia?
Anyone can have their own reading. But my reading is that there is a movement, there is a hard vote. That vote is precisely because of the results of past administrations.
Second, last year I would also have taken more than 50% of the votes. It was my estimate. We were surprised by Chi (Chi Hyun Chung, a conservative candidate who in 2019 obtained almost 9% of the vote). I said in the cabinet that Chi was going to take away our vote. I want to tell it very sincerely, we were divided. Some said he was going to take votes from the right, I said he was going to take the vote from us.
I don’t remember what position Lucho Arce had on that, but some ministers said that Chi was going to take votes from the right. That was the discussion in the cabinet. Obviously, we must recognize that so many years of governmental management, so much ‘dirty war’ and lies wore us down. But the people were not wrong, we must continue with the process of change.
Evo: “The people were right”
Aren’t these results proof that it was time to retire last year instead of going to a fourth election?
I was convinced. You can review my press conferences, I said that I was finishing my term, and I was going back to my ‘chaco’ (plot of land) to work. All the social and militant movements said that continuity was important due to the results we had. I accepted, it wasn’t that I decided. I was asked to do it. And now you can see that the people were right.
You came to admit that perhaps it was a mistake to force one more reelection …
After the coup, I said that obviously maybe. But now when we see the economic situation of the country, we see that the people were right.
The people know. The pandemic? I would have been fighting the pandemic with Cuba and China. First class equipment. The people were right.
What do you think of all the voices that ask for renewal? Something that is pointed out as a factor in the electoral victory like the one you had. You were told to change the leaders and even to displace some of your closest advisers.
I think some colleagues are wrong. They say no to the people who have surrounded me, but Lucho Arce and David Choquehuanca (former chancellor and vice-president-elect) have been two of the people that have lasted the longest with me. Third was Juan Ramón (Quintana, former Minister of the Presidency) and Roberto Aguilar (former Minister of Education).
Those are the people that surround me. The first is Lucho, the second is David. There are some internal problems. A confusion. I hope to return to clarify, to align. In my experience, it is necessary to combine founders, former authorities and greater opportunity for the new generations.
What do you prefer, a government made up of social organizations or one that has a strong presence of sectors of the middle class such as your cabinet?
You have to do a combination. Middle class, social movements and from the regions. Some colleagues question me about the “guests”. I integrated. To be an elected or appointed authority you do not always have to be a leader or ex-leader.
Túpac Katari said in colonial times that ‘mestizos’ (people born from one indigenous person and a foreign person) and ‘criollos’ (People who are born in Bolivia but their parents were foreign) should organize themselves to fight together for our territory. It’s what I do.
“I go back to my chaco”
The vice-president-elect David Choquehuanca said that social organizations have asked that the “guests” do not return, the people that surrounded you …
Well, it surprises me. I have not heard that. Again I say, who is David? who is Lucho? They are the people that surrounded me. They are the deans of the people that surrounded me.
How do you feel, now that you are not the protagonist of Bolivia after practically being the center of politics? How does it feel to play such a role?
I was convinced that sooner or later it had to arrive, that I had to go to my farm. That is normal. It is not that Evo wanted to be reelected. 5,000 leaders asked that Evo be empowered to give continuity because it has given results. The people were not wrong in saying that Evo continue.
Now I go back to my chaco, in the Chapare. There, I return to my land and that will be my task.
Are you planting coca again?
I’m going to dedicate myself to tambaquí (river fish also called pacú), to have a tambaquí pool. My companions are doing well with tambaquí pools. In eight months you have $ 5,000 of net income.
Lucho has to be the protagonist
You said you were going to return to Bolivia immediately after the victory of Luis Arce, but the leader of your political party, Andrónico Rodríguez, said it will be later. When do you plan to return to Bolivia?
First I want to thank brother President Alberto Fernández who offered to take me to Bolivia. I imagine that he is going to the inauguration (November 8). There, the comrade Lucho Arce has to be the protagonist. I can’t take the limelight, I’m staying.
After, it is planned, they are organizing it. It is my wish. I will be back on November 11. On the 11th (November 2019) I left Chimoré (the forest area which is Morales’ territory) to save my life and on the 11th I will return alive to Chimoré.
Then, you return exactly one year after your departure …
That is it. Well planned. Thanks to Pachamama and thanks to God.
Will you enter by land?
It is up for debate, but we will arrive the same day.
It is said that you are going to dedicate yourself to forming social and political leaders. Isn’t that some kind of retirement? Don’t you have aspirations to be president again?
I don’t have those aspirations. But yes, now with more experience I want to share my trade union struggle as a leader, share my experience of managing the Plurinational State as former president. Last night I was already in a workshop with young people. That will be my task.
Does that mean that Evo Morales is over as a candidate for any office?
I do not have it in my plans, I return to my ‘chaco’ to share my experience.
Caring for Lucho and the process of change
In an interview with the BBC, President-elect Luis Arce stated that you were not going to be part of his government. What do you think of what he says?
I never thought about it. I told Lucho Arce that I’m not going to be a part of it, that they should not take me into account. It does not correspond to me.
I talked at length about how to share experiences, although he has a lot of experience in public management. My task will be from the social movements, how to take care of the ideological principles of the party. Take care of Lucho and the process of change.
So, how much ‘political weight’ is Evo Morales going to have in the coming years and in the next government?
Nothing. I asked not to do anything. I will not suggest any name for minister. The election of ministers is the responsibility of the president. Not because I am president of the party or campaign manager, I can be imposing. I am not going to do it. I know the president needs trustworthy people.
I recommend to the social movements, to the militants, not to try to impose ministers. Let brother Lucho organize.
You knew Rafael Correa very closely, aren’t you afraid that Luis Arce will become a Lenin Moreno?
I am very confident and I don’t even think that. He has ideological training, he comes from the Socialist Party and later he joined the Movement for Socialism (a party led by Morales). We have united all the left wing parties. If I contributed something, it was to unite, unite and unite.
Juan Manuel Santos is another example with the break with Álvaro Uribe in Colombia …
Lucho comes from a well-known left-wing party in his time. I have no concerns about this, at all.
You must read now…
Will COVID-19 become an endemic disease?
With SARS-COV-2, some cases of reinfection have been documented. However, it is not yet known with certainty how common…the-citizen.medium.com
Macron declared the “axis of evil” in the Arab world: What did he do to deserve it?
The presidente has since been described as mentally ill by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. From Syria to…the-citizen.medium.com
|
f59e206c-1e82-5fe9-87f2-9f156e780470
|
25/08/2025 16:02:54
|
|
https://medium.com/hyperfish/announcing-hyperfish-collections-ef273362e31d
|
medium.com
|
Announcing Hyperfish Collections
|
Collect user profile information based on their location, division, job roles and more
|
Hyperfish
|
https://medium.com/@hyperfish
|
ef273362e31d
|
3 min
|
2017-04-06T22:26:15.430000
|
2017-04-11T16:01:02.359000
|
2018-05-03T09:47:33.870000
| 0 | 4 |
en
|
Microsoft,Active Directory,Office 365,Product,News
|
<section>
<h3>Collect user profile information based on their location, division, job roles and more</h3>
<p>Hyperfish ensures complete and up-to-date people profiles across your entire digital workplace, by analyzing and automating the collection of information in your Active Directory (AD).</p>
<p>In days, your Active Directory transforms into a live people directory, dramatically increasing employee engagement, automating IT processes and unlocking the value of your Microsoft investments.</p>
<p>Since launching Hyperfish in September 2016, we have worked closely with customers and partners to continually advance the product. One of the requests we’ve heard is how can they collect different types of profile information from collections of people in the organization. For example, only sales staff are required to provide their sales region, but support staff are not.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1071/1*z09TBY3qAkPeED_JINtSWQ.png" width="1071" height="602" loading="lazy" />
<p>Now with Hyperfish’s new Collections functionality, policies can be applied to users in groups, such as Finance, Support, Seattle employees, and so on. Administrators now have access to the new collections tab in the navigation. A collection of users can be made up of one or many AD Organizational Units (OU). If your OU’s are a mess, we will shortly have support for Collections by Attribute values.</p>
<p>Each Collection can have its own unique configurations (separate to the master settings). For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>who approves submitted profile updates for users;</li>
<li>what attributes are required and formatting rules; and</li>
<li>the branding that they will see in emails and profile update pages.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1080/1*SI32GPLY9SsKJdcS7wQQvg.png" width="1080" height="626" loading="lazy" />
<h1>Scenarios</h1>
<p>Our customer base is broad, here are a few scenarios that can be achieved using the new Collections functionality.</p>
<p>1. Global organization with offices in North America, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Singapore.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Different approvers for users per region</strong> — the approver for attributes is defined by the location of the user. For instance, the local office manager will approve all changes to profile photos.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1065/1*CiSqkLoe8ibDPqs5ZEV_CQ.png" width="1065" height="407" loading="lazy" />
<p>2. An organization that has multiples divisions, such as Corporate, Manufacturing, Retail.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Branding per division</strong> — each user will see different division logos and color branding on their profile update page and the emails they receive from Hyperbot.</li>
<li><strong>Different Skills per division</strong> — A specific list of skills can be made available to the user based on their division. Once completed, the profile information can be stored in both an AD attribute and in the Skills SharePoint User Profile property that shows in Delve.</li>
</ul>
<p>3. An organization that has Sales staff and Helpdesk departments across their regions.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Sales region is required for sales staff</strong> — only sales employees are required to provide their sales region. Other employees won’t see this attribute on their profile update page, nor will they be requested for this information in their Hyperbot communications.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/685/1*iUgWEVgHNrH-XKqLsDKenA.png" width="685" height="671" loading="lazy" />
<ul>
<li><strong>Pager is required for Helpdesk employees</strong> — only Helpdesk employees are required to fill in their pager attribute.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/683/1*-ar0FVUIxo0dujrn-oNa4A.png" width="683" height="625" loading="lazy" />
<p>4. An Educational Institution must maintain current Profile Information for both their Staff (Teachers) and Students.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Cell phone only required for Teachers</strong> — cell phone number is required and editable for Teachers.</li>
<li><strong>No profile photo required for Students in Year 10 down</strong> — Hyperfish won’t collect photos for students in Year 10 and below.</li>
</ul>
<p>Now is a great time to reach out and <a href="https://hyperfish.com/inquiry?type=demo&utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Demo">set up a demo</a> with us. For existing customers,<a href="https://hyperfish.zendesk.com/hc/en-us"> contact support</a> or your partner to activate Collections in the service.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*uvH7-bk75UvN0laEdHUvYw.jpeg" width="700" height="166" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Announcing Hyperfish Collections
Collect user profile information based on their location, division, job roles and more
Hyperfish ensures complete and up-to-date people profiles across your entire digital workplace, by analyzing and automating the collection of information in your Active Directory (AD).
In days, your Active Directory transforms into a live people directory, dramatically increasing employee engagement, automating IT processes and unlocking the value of your Microsoft investments.
Since launching Hyperfish in September 2016, we have worked closely with customers and partners to continually advance the product. One of the requests we’ve heard is how can they collect different types of profile information from collections of people in the organization. For example, only sales staff are required to provide their sales region, but support staff are not.
Administrator view of all their Collections
Now with Hyperfish’s new Collections functionality, policies can be applied to users in groups, such as Finance, Support, Seattle employees, and so on. Administrators now have access to the new collections tab in the navigation. A collection of users can be made up of one or many AD Organizational Units (OU). If your OU’s are a mess, we will shortly have support for Collections by Attribute values.
Each Collection can have its own unique configurations (separate to the master settings). For example:
who approves submitted profile updates for users;
what attributes are required and formatting rules; and
the branding that they will see in emails and profile update pages.
Adding a new Collection for the Human Resources OU
Scenarios
Our customer base is broad, here are a few scenarios that can be achieved using the new Collections functionality.
1. Global organization with offices in North America, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Singapore.
Different approvers for users per region — the approver for attributes is defined by the location of the user. For instance, the local office manager will approve all changes to profile photos.
The Austin Collection has different Auto Approval settings from the Master
2. An organization that has multiples divisions, such as Corporate, Manufacturing, Retail.
Branding per division — each user will see different division logos and color branding on their profile update page and the emails they receive from Hyperbot.
Different Skills per division — A specific list of skills can be made available to the user based on their division. Once completed, the profile information can be stored in both an AD attribute and in the Skills SharePoint User Profile property that shows in Delve.
3. An organization that has Sales staff and Helpdesk departments across their regions.
Sales region is required for sales staff — only sales employees are required to provide their sales region. Other employees won’t see this attribute on their profile update page, nor will they be requested for this information in their Hyperbot communications.
Sales Region attribute has been formatted to restrict responses to four options
Pager is required for Helpdesk employees — only Helpdesk employees are required to fill in their pager attribute.
Page has been modified from the Master settings to be required in this Collection
4. An Educational Institution must maintain current Profile Information for both their Staff (Teachers) and Students.
Cell phone only required for Teachers — cell phone number is required and editable for Teachers.
No profile photo required for Students in Year 10 down — Hyperfish won’t collect photos for students in Year 10 and below.
Now is a great time to reach out and set up a demo with us. For existing customers, contact support or your partner to activate Collections in the service.
|
71b8d3af-3b3d-5068-adb0-8c517839a5b9
|
25/08/2025 16:02:54
|
|
https://medium.com/@keeleyroberts444/divine-perspective-the-6th-sense-ad243cb0a946
|
medium.com
|
Divine Perspective: The 6th Sense
|
As I strengthen my faith and trust the unseen, miracles become visible; Bringing to life the imaginative visions I once held in my mind…
|
Keeley Roberts
|
https://medium.com/@keeleyroberts444
|
ad243cb0a946
|
7 min
|
2025-08-15T20:38:04.958000
|
2025-08-16T20:40:05.026000
|
2025-08-16T21:27:44.312000
| 0 | 10 |
en
|
Consciousness,Perspective,Spiritual Awakening,Epiphany,Faith
|
<section>
<p>As I strengthen my faith and trust the unseen, miracles become visible; Bringing to life the imaginative visions I once held in my mind, heart, and spirit.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1920/1*xohiWSqeW2IxEkE99rzdMw.jpeg" width="1920" height="1440" loading="lazy" />
<p>The 6th sense is an intuitive awareness. Similar to a heightened form of conscious experience, it’s the ability to perceive what is nonphysical. The traditional five senses are sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. The 6th sense is a perspective. For instance, we can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste without actually having to physically interact. Whether the 6th sense is experienced through vivid dreams, feeling energy, or extrasensory perception; it reveals our connection to the unseen realms, suggesting that reality is far more layered and alive than what the physical senses alone can grasp. Inner sensing, is the quiet ability to trust in our intuition or consciousness. Sometimes felt as a gut instinct, other times it could be the ability to straightforwardly know the right decision to make. Our intuition serves as an internal compass pointing one toward truth beyond logic. The 6th sense acts as a bridge between the conscious mind and higher realms of awareness. Our intuition is equal to soul energy, divine guidance, and universal intelligence. This spiritual aspect illuminates paths we may not see yet, steering one through choices and epiphanies with wisdom that transcends rationality. The 6th sense is the language of the unseen.</p>
<p>Higher consciousness, often related to inner sensing, is an intense characteristic of the 6th sense. Connecting to this deeper awareness, is an awakening that transcends the ego and the limits of the physical self. This elevated state of perception connects one to the interconnected web of life. Through this lens, life is no longer singularly experienced; it’s understood on a soul level. The 6th sense is often linked to the activation of the third eye chakra, known as the pineal gland. For example, the chemicals that get released inside our pineal gland is the magical energy that makes one vividly dream with intense creative abilities. This is to see without physically opening our eyes. All senses can be experienced without physically touching, hearing, or seeing. A great example is our ability to dream. The energy produced by the pineal gland acts a portal to universal consciousness. By tuning into this spiritual gateway, we awaken the divine energy within. Transcending ordinary reality, is to be navigated by our 6th sense.</p>
<h1><strong>Awakening Perspective</strong></h1>
<p>Energy perception is the ability to sense the energy that exists beyond the physical realm. As spiritual beings, we are surrounded by vibrational fields — auras, chakras, and emotional currents. These vibrations interact with our own frequency when we come into contact with other beings or energies. Through practices like meditation and connecting to the divine, we begin to attune to these invisible forces. Over time, this awareness cultivates a heightened sensitivity to the interconnected web of life. It’s important to remember that we are energy. We are constantly receiving, transmitting, and existing as part of a spiritual ecosystem. The sixth sense is a bridge between the material and spiritual realms. This divine perspective is a deep understanding of truth, energy, and ethereal guidance. We walk in a physical realm shaped by five senses, yet the sixth sense reveals an unseen dimension of reality and allows one to walk the path through universal consciousness.</p>
<p>Telepathic senses are enhanced forms of spiritual perception. These are intuitive senses that go beyond the physical and tap into the unseen realms of consciousness. Often looked at as, psychic sense or extrasensory abilities, they mirror our ordinary senses but operate at an energetic level. “Clear vision,” is the ability to perceive images or symbols that are not visible in physicality. “Clear hearing,” is listening to the messages that come from spiritual dimensions, higher guidance, and yourself. “Clear feeling,” is the empathic ability to pick up on the emotion or energy states of others without direct communication. “Clear knowing,” is the sudden arrival of insight or truth — knowledge that seems to appear spontaneously without reason or study. Together, these intuitive aspects serve as a spiritual compass for what intuition is as a whole. Guiding one toward deeper awareness, inner wisdom, and a great connection to the unseen realms of existence. Clear vision, clear hearing, clear feeling, and clear knowing are elements of intuition that come together to enhance the 6th sense. (Perspective)</p>
<p>Each intention we hold sends a vibrational message to the divine source of creation. This is because our mind is connected to the spiritual force of consciousness. As perception expands, so does the power to create. Pure awareness is the magical energy of infinite possibility. When the mind becomes aligned with consciousness, one becomes attuned to the spiritual laws of creation. This alignment will awaken the creative intelligence within. Consciousness can be looked at as the transformative opening from illusion to truth. When trusting the five senses, individual awareness grounds one in the material realm. The material realm then becomes the main reality. The primary role of consciousness is to take your experience out of the physical reality.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1472/0*te6FyJo5d1m3sJzW.jpg" width="1472" height="832" loading="lazy" />
<h2><strong>The Path of Epiphanies</strong></h2>
<p>The 6th sense operates in harmony with the laws of nature. By focusing your energy and holding a desire, the mind will activate the spark of creation. Even as wisdom awakens, and you recognize that the mind is shaping the physical and transcendent realities, you’ll understand how powerful your 6th sense actually is. Becoming in control of your mind and imagination is the hidden secret of creation. Controlling our perspective through belief and faith will deeply alter the course of how we decide to navigate through life. It’s important to become connected to your highest self because your spirit knows what’s unfolding. Within every experience, your higher self is observing. By weaving together actions, feelings, and thoughts, one will be able to connect to their highest self easier because our perspective becomes purer through self-control. In final thought, consciousness is a present and pure state of being. It’s silent and is a portal to infinite possibilities, for transcendent dimensions and the physical dimension.</p>
<p>From a small flicker of sensation, a whole new pattern of understanding can arise. Small and gentle shifts can profoundly reveal life-changing concepts. This awakening marks the path to expanded perspective, where even a short moment can create a limitless internal belief system. When our believing energy radiates with intensity, it greatly shapes the course of our life. When an experience resonates deeply within the spirit and it inspires a great transformation, this is an <em>epiphany.</em> The power of an epiphany lies in its instant widening of perception. This is a spontaneous breakthrough moment that shifts awareness and reveals deeper truth. The moment you do something beyond your familiar limits it will shift everything. You will touch a deeper layer of reality and be open to new experiences. No matter how deeply you love or cherish someone, the true depth of your personal epiphanies remains uniquely your own. Your creative ability is unseen and unfelt by anyone else. Walk the path illuminated by your epiphanies. Follow these divine insights for each one carves a new direction meant singularly for you. The searching mind finds divine wholeness when it aligns with the spiritual rhythm of creation.</p>
<p>To truly master a <em>pure perspective</em>, one has to live it through universal principles -</p>
<p>Compassion</p>
<p>Truthfulness</p>
<p>Integrity</p>
<p>Balance</p>
<p>Non-Attachment</p>
<p>Gratitude</p>
<p>Mindfulness</p>
<p>Unity</p>
<p>Humility</p>
<p>Love</p>
<h2><strong>The Mirror of Consciousness</strong></h2>
<p>The universe reflects the nature of consciousness — it’s a living mirror of your inner world. Life’s events and relationships echo aspects of who you are, revealing that perspective is not isolated, but of a shared, united force. Whatever you focus on will expand. Consciousness is a creative energy that shapes reality with precision and purpose — nothing unfolds by luck or chance. Symbols and synchronicities are here to lead the way, while spiritual laws operate with universal intelligence. Always delivering the best possible outcome in each moment. The visions held within the imagination, will birth new realities, bringing to life what once seemed untouchable. Imagination is a compass that guides one through the realms yet to be discovered. Conscious choice, free will, and self-determination empowers the soul to influence its journey. The path ahead remains unwritten. As our perspective expands, so does our connection to consciousness. Yet, if you cling to yesterday’s solutions for tomorrow’s questions, your process will become stagnant, and your potential will dim.</p>
<p>As one deepens their connection to higher consciousness, one will begin to realize that every experience, challenge, and synchronicity is a divine message in disguise. Our messages are a reflection of the inner work unfolding within. The 6th sense is not a mystical ability; it’s a spiritual remembrance of who you are beyond physical form. This perspective teaches one that life is not happening to you, it’s happening through you. Our mind creates ripples in the external and transcendent realms of existence, shaping the path forward, guided by soulful wisdom. When you walk in alignment with this perspective, there is no longer a search for control. The 6th sense is directly connected to divine timing.</p>
<p>Consciousness is the infinite field of awareness that holds everything we think, feel, and perceive. This is the foundation of all existence. It’s not limited by time or place but flows continuously like an unseen current beneath every experience. Often described as the essence of life itself or the mind of the universe, consciousness connects the inner and outer realms, interlinking them. Being conscious, is the immediate expression of that awareness. This is to be fully tuned in to one’s thoughts, surroundings, and sensations. The presence of mind, in real time, is to be fully conscious. For example, consciousness is the ocean and being conscious is a single wave. Consciousness is the source, and being conscious is the activity. Together, they shape how we experience life, reality, and ourselves.</p>
<p>As one embraces the unseen, the truth begins to awaken. Our 6th sense is the bridge of the living reality and the infinite layers of meaning and possibility. When we tune into this inner wisdom, we step beyond survival instincts and begin to co-create with the universe itself. Guided by faith, imagination, and the sense of perspective — that sees with the heart as much as the mind. This journey is to remember who we are. Spiritual beings experiencing a human life, connected by consciousness to all that is. Each epiphany, each moment, is a gentle invitation to expand the mind so alignment with the universal laws can take place. Vibrating with integrity, love, and gratitude gifts positive energy to our path.</p>
<p>In this expanded awareness, life becomes a dance of creation where every thought, feeling, and intention sends ripples across the fabric of existence. The path illuminated by our 6th sense is unique and ever evolving. It’s significant to embrace the unknown with courage and trust. So, may we honor this inner perspective, the language of the unseen, and the spiritual rhythms of consciousness. In doing so, we awaken not only to a deeper perspective — but a fuller, richer experience of life itself. This is where miracles are the natural unfolding of a spirit aligned with the infinite.</p>
</section>
|
Divine Perspective: The 6th Sense
As I strengthen my faith and trust the unseen, miracles become visible; Bringing to life the imaginative visions I once held in my mind, heart, and spirit.
Personal Image by Keeley Roberts
The 6th sense is an intuitive awareness. Similar to a heightened form of conscious experience, it’s the ability to perceive what is nonphysical. The traditional five senses are sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. The 6th sense is a perspective. For instance, we can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste without actually having to physically interact. Whether the 6th sense is experienced through vivid dreams, feeling energy, or extrasensory perception; it reveals our connection to the unseen realms, suggesting that reality is far more layered and alive than what the physical senses alone can grasp. Inner sensing, is the quiet ability to trust in our intuition or consciousness. Sometimes felt as a gut instinct, other times it could be the ability to straightforwardly know the right decision to make. Our intuition serves as an internal compass pointing one toward truth beyond logic. The 6th sense acts as a bridge between the conscious mind and higher realms of awareness. Our intuition is equal to soul energy, divine guidance, and universal intelligence. This spiritual aspect illuminates paths we may not see yet, steering one through choices and epiphanies with wisdom that transcends rationality. The 6th sense is the language of the unseen.
Higher consciousness, often related to inner sensing, is an intense characteristic of the 6th sense. Connecting to this deeper awareness, is an awakening that transcends the ego and the limits of the physical self. This elevated state of perception connects one to the interconnected web of life. Through this lens, life is no longer singularly experienced; it’s understood on a soul level. The 6th sense is often linked to the activation of the third eye chakra, known as the pineal gland. For example, the chemicals that get released inside our pineal gland is the magical energy that makes one vividly dream with intense creative abilities. This is to see without physically opening our eyes. All senses can be experienced without physically touching, hearing, or seeing. A great example is our ability to dream. The energy produced by the pineal gland acts a portal to universal consciousness. By tuning into this spiritual gateway, we awaken the divine energy within. Transcending ordinary reality, is to be navigated by our 6th sense.
Awakening Perspective
Energy perception is the ability to sense the energy that exists beyond the physical realm. As spiritual beings, we are surrounded by vibrational fields — auras, chakras, and emotional currents. These vibrations interact with our own frequency when we come into contact with other beings or energies. Through practices like meditation and connecting to the divine, we begin to attune to these invisible forces. Over time, this awareness cultivates a heightened sensitivity to the interconnected web of life. It’s important to remember that we are energy. We are constantly receiving, transmitting, and existing as part of a spiritual ecosystem. The sixth sense is a bridge between the material and spiritual realms. This divine perspective is a deep understanding of truth, energy, and ethereal guidance. We walk in a physical realm shaped by five senses, yet the sixth sense reveals an unseen dimension of reality and allows one to walk the path through universal consciousness.
Telepathic senses are enhanced forms of spiritual perception. These are intuitive senses that go beyond the physical and tap into the unseen realms of consciousness. Often looked at as, psychic sense or extrasensory abilities, they mirror our ordinary senses but operate at an energetic level. “Clear vision,” is the ability to perceive images or symbols that are not visible in physicality. “Clear hearing,” is listening to the messages that come from spiritual dimensions, higher guidance, and yourself. “Clear feeling,” is the empathic ability to pick up on the emotion or energy states of others without direct communication. “Clear knowing,” is the sudden arrival of insight or truth — knowledge that seems to appear spontaneously without reason or study. Together, these intuitive aspects serve as a spiritual compass for what intuition is as a whole. Guiding one toward deeper awareness, inner wisdom, and a great connection to the unseen realms of existence. Clear vision, clear hearing, clear feeling, and clear knowing are elements of intuition that come together to enhance the 6th sense. (Perspective)
Each intention we hold sends a vibrational message to the divine source of creation. This is because our mind is connected to the spiritual force of consciousness. As perception expands, so does the power to create. Pure awareness is the magical energy of infinite possibility. When the mind becomes aligned with consciousness, one becomes attuned to the spiritual laws of creation. This alignment will awaken the creative intelligence within. Consciousness can be looked at as the transformative opening from illusion to truth. When trusting the five senses, individual awareness grounds one in the material realm. The material realm then becomes the main reality. The primary role of consciousness is to take your experience out of the physical reality.
Personal Image created by Canva
The Path of Epiphanies
The 6th sense operates in harmony with the laws of nature. By focusing your energy and holding a desire, the mind will activate the spark of creation. Even as wisdom awakens, and you recognize that the mind is shaping the physical and transcendent realities, you’ll understand how powerful your 6th sense actually is. Becoming in control of your mind and imagination is the hidden secret of creation. Controlling our perspective through belief and faith will deeply alter the course of how we decide to navigate through life. It’s important to become connected to your highest self because your spirit knows what’s unfolding. Within every experience, your higher self is observing. By weaving together actions, feelings, and thoughts, one will be able to connect to their highest self easier because our perspective becomes purer through self-control. In final thought, consciousness is a present and pure state of being. It’s silent and is a portal to infinite possibilities, for transcendent dimensions and the physical dimension.
From a small flicker of sensation, a whole new pattern of understanding can arise. Small and gentle shifts can profoundly reveal life-changing concepts. This awakening marks the path to expanded perspective, where even a short moment can create a limitless internal belief system. When our believing energy radiates with intensity, it greatly shapes the course of our life. When an experience resonates deeply within the spirit and it inspires a great transformation, this is an epiphany. The power of an epiphany lies in its instant widening of perception. This is a spontaneous breakthrough moment that shifts awareness and reveals deeper truth. The moment you do something beyond your familiar limits it will shift everything. You will touch a deeper layer of reality and be open to new experiences. No matter how deeply you love or cherish someone, the true depth of your personal epiphanies remains uniquely your own. Your creative ability is unseen and unfelt by anyone else. Walk the path illuminated by your epiphanies. Follow these divine insights for each one carves a new direction meant singularly for you. The searching mind finds divine wholeness when it aligns with the spiritual rhythm of creation.
To truly master a pure perspective, one has to live it through universal principles -
Compassion
Truthfulness
Integrity
Balance
Non-Attachment
Gratitude
Mindfulness
Unity
Humility
Love
The Mirror of Consciousness
The universe reflects the nature of consciousness — it’s a living mirror of your inner world. Life’s events and relationships echo aspects of who you are, revealing that perspective is not isolated, but of a shared, united force. Whatever you focus on will expand. Consciousness is a creative energy that shapes reality with precision and purpose — nothing unfolds by luck or chance. Symbols and synchronicities are here to lead the way, while spiritual laws operate with universal intelligence. Always delivering the best possible outcome in each moment. The visions held within the imagination, will birth new realities, bringing to life what once seemed untouchable. Imagination is a compass that guides one through the realms yet to be discovered. Conscious choice, free will, and self-determination empowers the soul to influence its journey. The path ahead remains unwritten. As our perspective expands, so does our connection to consciousness. Yet, if you cling to yesterday’s solutions for tomorrow’s questions, your process will become stagnant, and your potential will dim.
As one deepens their connection to higher consciousness, one will begin to realize that every experience, challenge, and synchronicity is a divine message in disguise. Our messages are a reflection of the inner work unfolding within. The 6th sense is not a mystical ability; it’s a spiritual remembrance of who you are beyond physical form. This perspective teaches one that life is not happening to you, it’s happening through you. Our mind creates ripples in the external and transcendent realms of existence, shaping the path forward, guided by soulful wisdom. When you walk in alignment with this perspective, there is no longer a search for control. The 6th sense is directly connected to divine timing.
Consciousness is the infinite field of awareness that holds everything we think, feel, and perceive. This is the foundation of all existence. It’s not limited by time or place but flows continuously like an unseen current beneath every experience. Often described as the essence of life itself or the mind of the universe, consciousness connects the inner and outer realms, interlinking them. Being conscious, is the immediate expression of that awareness. This is to be fully tuned in to one’s thoughts, surroundings, and sensations. The presence of mind, in real time, is to be fully conscious. For example, consciousness is the ocean and being conscious is a single wave. Consciousness is the source, and being conscious is the activity. Together, they shape how we experience life, reality, and ourselves.
As one embraces the unseen, the truth begins to awaken. Our 6th sense is the bridge of the living reality and the infinite layers of meaning and possibility. When we tune into this inner wisdom, we step beyond survival instincts and begin to co-create with the universe itself. Guided by faith, imagination, and the sense of perspective — that sees with the heart as much as the mind. This journey is to remember who we are. Spiritual beings experiencing a human life, connected by consciousness to all that is. Each epiphany, each moment, is a gentle invitation to expand the mind so alignment with the universal laws can take place. Vibrating with integrity, love, and gratitude gifts positive energy to our path.
In this expanded awareness, life becomes a dance of creation where every thought, feeling, and intention sends ripples across the fabric of existence. The path illuminated by our 6th sense is unique and ever evolving. It’s significant to embrace the unknown with courage and trust. So, may we honor this inner perspective, the language of the unseen, and the spiritual rhythms of consciousness. In doing so, we awaken not only to a deeper perspective — but a fuller, richer experience of life itself. This is where miracles are the natural unfolding of a spirit aligned with the infinite.
|
4702eee9-3dbb-5eb8-ad46-6106828ef032
|
25/08/2025 16:02:54
|
|
https://medium.com/@Acorn.Collective/crowdfunding-sucks-currently-6b7cd72a3775
|
medium.com
|
Crowdfunding Sucks…(Currently)
|
Initial coin offerings are changing crowdfunding and changing the world — but so far only at the margins. The best is yet to come.
|
Acorn Collective
|
https://medium.com/@Acorn.Collective
|
6b7cd72a3775
|
3 min
|
2017-10-17T13:50:52.743000
|
2017-11-15T13:50:55.766000
|
2018-06-11T03:52:40.729000
| 0 | 126 |
en
|
Crowdfunding,ICO,Blockchain,Cryptocurrency,Token Sale
|
<section>
<p><strong>Crowdfunding Sucks…(Currently)</strong></p>
<p>Initial coin offerings are changing crowdfunding and changing the world — but so far only at the margins. The best is yet to come.</p>
<p>At Acorn, our agenda is to harness the power of ICOs and coin markets to move forward crowdfunding in a positive way — a way that gets crowdfunding and ICOs not just pointing in the right direction but heading there fast.</p>
<p>If you think that sounds like a big ambition in a crowded marketplace, we aren’t embarrassed to agree with you. The step-change we are aiming for is needed because traditional crowdfunding is not living up to its initial promise to improve access to funding. It’s an effective closed-shop, with barriers to entry imposed by platform fees, excessive paperwork and geography. (If you aren’t touting a ‘cool’ idea from a crowdfunding platform operating in an established economy, your prospects of tapping such finance from the ‘crowd’ is slim.)</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1000/1*FyCwxjuVKb9PIz96BSPbyg.jpeg" width="1000" height="787" loading="lazy" />
<p>So how do we plan to shake things up? Here are six ways:</p>
<p>We are creating a platform that supports founders, with an ethos of <strong>accepting every legal project that deserves support</strong>. It’s a global proposition in multiple languages, with the aim of being as inclusive as possible. It’s also free to all users, with the funding to be derived from the strength and popularity of the ecosystem .</p>
<p><strong>Our Acorn Collective ecosystem reduces risks</strong> for all. We have a <strong>crowdfunding hub </strong>that’s open access and commission free, the <strong>Acorn Marketplace </strong>where consumers can find innovative products post-fundraising and the <strong>ACO token</strong>, connecting backers, founders and consumers through a single currency.</p>
<p>At the heart of everything is the <strong>ACO token</strong>. This is <strong>the platform’s exchange mechanism for backing projects and buying products and services.</strong> Early funding is from the ACO token itself, which is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 compliant token. We can invite a wide range of projects by offering our platform for free, with founders still able to tap all the support services that will help them succeed.</p>
<p>One explicit target of ours lies in <strong>supporting founders setting up in emerging markets</strong>, which have poor access to traditional funding and can benefit greatly from our model. It’s not that we don’t want everyone involved, from all parts of the world — we do — but we can see that there is a gap to be plugged in emerging economies, which are also more open to adopting alternative financing models.</p>
<p>Our model means we do not need to earn big profits for equity shareholders. That means <strong>we can be cheaper</strong>. Again, this fulfils the promise of crowdfunding, providing incentives and support rather than access fees and protectionism.</p>
<p><strong>Aligning interests</strong> is at the heart of what we do. Our currency support mechanisms and free-access vision ensures early contributors get a good return, while our revenue model and investment appetite ensures the management team is motivated and the platform and currency continues to grow.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*UjpMSQR47cqYbEQhfXCXsw.png" width="1200" height="1442" loading="lazy" />
<p>Wherever you dive in, the model we’ve created is chockful of competitive advantages over other ICOs.</p>
<ul>
<li>The platform is free to users — that is, to the founders looking for backers. Many crowdfunding platforms come with fees of between 4% and 10%.</li>
<li>The goods from every successful project can be sold on the Acorn Marketplace for no extra cost.</li>
<li>We’ve thought through how to ensure currency growth and stability, including a project incentive fund for early adopters and a liquidity reserve to smooth out any price fluctuations on the ACO token from from large campaign payouts.</li>
<li>We’ve even developed insurance to help project backers protect themselves against the full value of their committed investments, should a project fail.</li>
</ul>
<p>A final word, and an important one. Our ACO token is inherently a deflationary currency. The aim is to raise USD 50M in the ICO, with a stretch goal of USD 100M, and then no new ACO will be minted. As the platform grows, this will increase demand for ACO in the face of a fixed supply — and the value will climb.</p>
<p>It’s a model that we’re proud of and that we believe will deliver for everyone involved, from the very beginning. Please join us.</p>
<p><a href="http://sucks https://aco.ai/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=cf_sucks">Visit our website</a> to find out more about how we’re making crowdfunding free.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1632/1*dJBzTi3-Gqe4qxNgVHtQGw.png" width="1632" height="274" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Crowdfunding Sucks…(Currently)
Initial coin offerings are changing crowdfunding and changing the world — but so far only at the margins. The best is yet to come.
At Acorn, our agenda is to harness the power of ICOs and coin markets to move forward crowdfunding in a positive way — a way that gets crowdfunding and ICOs not just pointing in the right direction but heading there fast.
If you think that sounds like a big ambition in a crowded marketplace, we aren’t embarrassed to agree with you. The step-change we are aiming for is needed because traditional crowdfunding is not living up to its initial promise to improve access to funding. It’s an effective closed-shop, with barriers to entry imposed by platform fees, excessive paperwork and geography. (If you aren’t touting a ‘cool’ idea from a crowdfunding platform operating in an established economy, your prospects of tapping such finance from the ‘crowd’ is slim.)
So how do we plan to shake things up? Here are six ways:
We are creating a platform that supports founders, with an ethos of accepting every legal project that deserves support. It’s a global proposition in multiple languages, with the aim of being as inclusive as possible. It’s also free to all users, with the funding to be derived from the strength and popularity of the ecosystem .
Our Acorn Collective ecosystem reduces risks for all. We have a crowdfunding hub that’s open access and commission free, the Acorn Marketplace where consumers can find innovative products post-fundraising and the ACO token, connecting backers, founders and consumers through a single currency.
At the heart of everything is the ACO token. This is the platform’s exchange mechanism for backing projects and buying products and services. Early funding is from the ACO token itself, which is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 compliant token. We can invite a wide range of projects by offering our platform for free, with founders still able to tap all the support services that will help them succeed.
One explicit target of ours lies in supporting founders setting up in emerging markets, which have poor access to traditional funding and can benefit greatly from our model. It’s not that we don’t want everyone involved, from all parts of the world — we do — but we can see that there is a gap to be plugged in emerging economies, which are also more open to adopting alternative financing models.
Our model means we do not need to earn big profits for equity shareholders. That means we can be cheaper. Again, this fulfils the promise of crowdfunding, providing incentives and support rather than access fees and protectionism.
Aligning interests is at the heart of what we do. Our currency support mechanisms and free-access vision ensures early contributors get a good return, while our revenue model and investment appetite ensures the management team is motivated and the platform and currency continues to grow.
The Acorn Ecosystem, connecting founders, backers and consumers around our ACO token, which, in turn, is supported by our Currency Growth & Stability mechanisms.
Wherever you dive in, the model we’ve created is chockful of competitive advantages over other ICOs.
The platform is free to users — that is, to the founders looking for backers. Many crowdfunding platforms come with fees of between 4% and 10%.
The goods from every successful project can be sold on the Acorn Marketplace for no extra cost.
We’ve thought through how to ensure currency growth and stability, including a project incentive fund for early adopters and a liquidity reserve to smooth out any price fluctuations on the ACO token from from large campaign payouts.
We’ve even developed insurance to help project backers protect themselves against the full value of their committed investments, should a project fail.
A final word, and an important one. Our ACO token is inherently a deflationary currency. The aim is to raise USD 50M in the ICO, with a stretch goal of USD 100M, and then no new ACO will be minted. As the platform grows, this will increase demand for ACO in the face of a fixed supply — and the value will climb.
It’s a model that we’re proud of and that we believe will deliver for everyone involved, from the very beginning. Please join us.
Visit our website to find out more about how we’re making crowdfunding free.
|
bd56f9c7-5178-50be-bd9e-1edc6d16d99a
|
25/08/2025 16:02:55
|
|
https://medium.com/@paolofranzesejun/china-china-wants-seeds-of-israeli-tech-ffb4893997aa
|
medium.com
|
CHINA / China wants seeds of Israeli tech
|
As artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and big data analysis emerge as key technologies driving growth in the near future, Chinese…
|
Paolo Franzese Jun
|
https://medium.com/@paolofranzesejun
|
ffb4893997aa
|
1 min
|
2017-04-12T13:35:49.579000
|
2017-04-12T13:37:51.904000
|
2017-05-21T09:27:09.471000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Israel,China,Alibaba,Google,Microsoft
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/580/1*NsDyAJctiH8n-h0v4S5ZuA.jpeg" width="580" height="398" loading="lazy" />
<p>As artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and big data analysis emerge as key technologies driving growth in the near future, Chinese companies are increasingly looking to Israel for a competitive edge.</p>
<p>U.S. companies such as Google and Microsoft have long worked to identify and acquire hidden gems in Israel’s tech sector, many of which come out of the military. The latest such move was Intel’s $15.3 billion purchase of Mobileye, an Israeli leader in computer vision for autonomous driving.</p>
<p>Now Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Fosun are also looking for new seeds of innovation in Israel. At a recent cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said about one-third of investments in Israel’s high-tech industry are from China and Hong Kong. This Chinese investment is growing by 50% a year, according to the IVC Research Center in Tel Aviv.</p>
<p>When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited China earlier in March, just weeks after high-profile visits to Singapore and Australia, he sat down with the heads of some of China’s largest companies, including Wanda, Alibaba, Wahaha, Lenovo and Baidu.</p>
<p>“I just met with 11 heads of the largest corporations in China. A major portion of them are investing in Israel, and a major portion of them will invest in Israel,” Netanyahu said after the meeting on March 20. “I told them that in today’s world there are several concentrations of technology, not many, [such as] the U.S., Israel. Israel is open for business with China.”</p>
<p>SOURCE -> <a href="http://asia.nikkei.com">http://asia.nikkei.com</a>
More -> <a href="http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/China-wants-seeds-of-Israeli-tech?n_cid=NARAN1507">Here</a></p>
</section>
|
CHINA / China wants seeds of Israeli tech
As artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and big data analysis emerge as key technologies driving growth in the near future, Chinese companies are increasingly looking to Israel for a competitive edge.
U.S. companies such as Google and Microsoft have long worked to identify and acquire hidden gems in Israel’s tech sector, many of which come out of the military. The latest such move was Intel’s $15.3 billion purchase of Mobileye, an Israeli leader in computer vision for autonomous driving.
Now Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Fosun are also looking for new seeds of innovation in Israel. At a recent cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said about one-third of investments in Israel’s high-tech industry are from China and Hong Kong. This Chinese investment is growing by 50% a year, according to the IVC Research Center in Tel Aviv.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited China earlier in March, just weeks after high-profile visits to Singapore and Australia, he sat down with the heads of some of China’s largest companies, including Wanda, Alibaba, Wahaha, Lenovo and Baidu.
“I just met with 11 heads of the largest corporations in China. A major portion of them are investing in Israel, and a major portion of them will invest in Israel,” Netanyahu said after the meeting on March 20. “I told them that in today’s world there are several concentrations of technology, not many, [such as] the U.S., Israel. Israel is open for business with China.”
SOURCE -> http://asia.nikkei.com
More -> Here
|
32d5039f-c1e5-595f-bc9d-ffbf145d3670
|
25/08/2025 16:02:55
|
|
https://medium.com/@khanubed88/list-of-b-schools-in-delhi-7f91bea47892
|
medium.com
|
List of B-schools in Delhi
|
27 Apr
|
ubed khan
|
https://medium.com/@khanubed88
|
7f91bea47892
|
2 min
|
2019-03-07T11:54:50.993000
|
2018-04-27T10:20:52
|
2019-03-07T11:55:16.401000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Education,Cat Preparation,Cat Mock Test,Cat Exam Date
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/825/0*iPR6203umf0ER8sr.jpg" width="825" height="510" loading="lazy" />
<p>27 Apr</p>
<p><a href="https://catking.in/author/catking/">CATKing</a>2018–06–20T06:12:09+00:00</p>
<p>Delhi is one of the best place for education which is the favourable destination for the students who wish to go for higher studies. We have compiled a list of B-schools in Delhi. The following list gives you an information about the college, the entrance exam through which you can get admission, fees of the college, batch strength and the programs offered by the college.So here is the list of B-schools in Delhi to do an MBA and higher studies.</p>
<p>NameEntrance ExamsFeesBatch StrengthPrograms offeredAccreditation Asian Business SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA
6.95-PGDMApplied for NBA New Delhi Institute of ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
8.25240PGDM/MBAAICTE Jagan Institute of Management Studies, RohiniCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT6.75180PGDM and 3 other coursesAICTE EMPI Business SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT7.25120PGDM and 10 other coursesAICTE Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Usha and Lakshmi Mittal Institute of ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT6120PGDMAICTE Accurate Institute of Management and TechnologyCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
5.6300PGDM/MBAAICTE IBMR Business School, HaryanaCAT/MAT/CMAT/IBMR Entrance Exam4.95120MBA+PGPMAICTE Fortune Institute of International BusinessCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
7.2-PGDMAICTE Ganga Group of Institutions- Ganga Institute of Technology and ManagementMAT
1.0760MBAMaharshi Dayanand University affiliated Aravali College of Engineering and ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT1.860MBAAICTE Institute of Advanced Management and ResearchCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT5.4120PGDM/MBAAICTE K.R. Mangalam UniversityCAT/MAT/SAT/GMAT/EMAT/KRMU Entrance Test560MBAUGC Approved Mangalmay Institute of Management and Technology
CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/UPSEE2.58120MBAAICTE G.L. Bajaj Institute of Management and ResearchCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT5.75240MBAAICTE IMS — GhaziabadCAT/MAT/CMAT/XAT5.0160Master Of International BusinessAICTE Jagannath International Management SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT6.75120PGDMNAAC New Delhi Institute of Management8.25240PGDM/MBAAICTE INMANTEC InstitutionsCAT/XAT/RMAT/MAT/JCCAT3.260PGDM/MBAAICTE Jindal Global Business SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT/GMAT/GRE/NMAT11-MBANAAC IMM- FOSTIIMA Business SchoolCAT/XAT/MAT/CMAT/IFEAT Exam6.75240PGDMAICTE School of Business Management, Noida International UniversityOwn Entrance Exam3.2-MBA- Lloyd Business School (LBS Greater Noida)CAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT4.5120PGDM/MBA/PGDM in SCM/PGDM in HRM/PGDM in Business AnalyticsAffiliated to Chaudhary Charan Singh University Apeejay School of ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
7.25180PGDMAICTE Harlal Institute of Management and Technology (PG courses)CAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/UPSEE5.560PGDM/MBAAICTE Fortune Institute of International BusinessCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/ATMA/GMAT7.2180PGDM and 2 other coursesAICTE</p>
<h1>Comments</h1>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/80/0*BJze3_qHO7sL1tv8" width="80" height="80" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong><a href</strong>="https://catking.in/author/catking/">CATKing</a></p>
<p>CATKing is a Focused Ed — Tech Startup established in 2008. Located in Financial Capital of India Mumbai is a one stop destination for each MBA/MS aspirant which focuses on strategic, engaging and high quality education. We at CATKing believe that Education with a blend of strategy can change the way Education is perceived globally. At CATKing Online, our purpose is to improve the quality of education, PAN India by devoting ourselves to one vision i.e. Empowering with knowledge. Our Team comprises of IIMs, SP Jain, NMIMS, JBIMS and NIT alumni and students. We are committed to putting all our expertise and research resources to bring innovative products to the consumers in terms of quality, efficacy and simplicity.</p>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://catking.in/l</em>ist-of-b-schools-in-delhi/">catking.in</a> on April 27, 2018.</p>
</section>
|
List of B-schools in Delhi
27 Apr
CATKing2018–06–20T06:12:09+00:00
Delhi is one of the best place for education which is the favourable destination for the students who wish to go for higher studies. We have compiled a list of B-schools in Delhi. The following list gives you an information about the college, the entrance exam through which you can get admission, fees of the college, batch strength and the programs offered by the college.So here is the list of B-schools in Delhi to do an MBA and higher studies.
NameEntrance ExamsFeesBatch StrengthPrograms offeredAccreditation Asian Business SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA
6.95-PGDMApplied for NBA New Delhi Institute of ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
8.25240PGDM/MBAAICTE Jagan Institute of Management Studies, RohiniCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT6.75180PGDM and 3 other coursesAICTE EMPI Business SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT7.25120PGDM and 10 other coursesAICTE Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Usha and Lakshmi Mittal Institute of ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT6120PGDMAICTE Accurate Institute of Management and TechnologyCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
5.6300PGDM/MBAAICTE IBMR Business School, HaryanaCAT/MAT/CMAT/IBMR Entrance Exam4.95120MBA+PGPMAICTE Fortune Institute of International BusinessCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
7.2-PGDMAICTE Ganga Group of Institutions- Ganga Institute of Technology and ManagementMAT
1.0760MBAMaharshi Dayanand University affiliated Aravali College of Engineering and ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT1.860MBAAICTE Institute of Advanced Management and ResearchCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT5.4120PGDM/MBAAICTE K.R. Mangalam UniversityCAT/MAT/SAT/GMAT/EMAT/KRMU Entrance Test560MBAUGC Approved Mangalmay Institute of Management and Technology
CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/UPSEE2.58120MBAAICTE G.L. Bajaj Institute of Management and ResearchCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT5.75240MBAAICTE IMS — GhaziabadCAT/MAT/CMAT/XAT5.0160Master Of International BusinessAICTE Jagannath International Management SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT6.75120PGDMNAAC New Delhi Institute of Management8.25240PGDM/MBAAICTE INMANTEC InstitutionsCAT/XAT/RMAT/MAT/JCCAT3.260PGDM/MBAAICTE Jindal Global Business SchoolCAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT/GMAT/GRE/NMAT11-MBANAAC IMM- FOSTIIMA Business SchoolCAT/XAT/MAT/CMAT/IFEAT Exam6.75240PGDMAICTE School of Business Management, Noida International UniversityOwn Entrance Exam3.2-MBA- Lloyd Business School (LBS Greater Noida)CAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/CMAT4.5120PGDM/MBA/PGDM in SCM/PGDM in HRM/PGDM in Business AnalyticsAffiliated to Chaudhary Charan Singh University Apeejay School of ManagementCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT
7.25180PGDMAICTE Harlal Institute of Management and Technology (PG courses)CAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA/UPSEE5.560PGDM/MBAAICTE Fortune Institute of International BusinessCAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/ATMA/GMAT7.2180PGDM and 2 other coursesAICTE
Comments
CATKing
CATKing is a Focused Ed — Tech Startup established in 2008. Located in Financial Capital of India Mumbai is a one stop destination for each MBA/MS aspirant which focuses on strategic, engaging and high quality education. We at CATKing believe that Education with a blend of strategy can change the way Education is perceived globally. At CATKing Online, our purpose is to improve the quality of education, PAN India by devoting ourselves to one vision i.e. Empowering with knowledge. Our Team comprises of IIMs, SP Jain, NMIMS, JBIMS and NIT alumni and students. We are committed to putting all our expertise and research resources to bring innovative products to the consumers in terms of quality, efficacy and simplicity.
Originally published at catking.in on April 27, 2018.
|
67ac065e-99ea-5553-8abe-91b955b20510
|
25/08/2025 16:02:56
|
|
https://medium.com/@muarraf.my/im-at-crossroads-trying-finding-a-balance-2217d429783e
|
medium.com
|
I’m at Crossroads - trying finding a balance.
|
Fragments from ‘Perfect Imperfections: a story of humans’ ✨
|
Muarraf Yousaf
|
https://medium.com/@muarraf.my
|
2217d429783e
| null |
1 min
|
2025-08-23T23:08:27.806000
|
2025-08-23T23:13:28.104000
|
2025-08-24T00:27:31.777000
| 0 | 22 |
en
|
This Is Us,Life,Mental Health,Writing,Relationships
|
<section>
<p>The consequences of unfulfilled dreams make you fear of losing it all and falling to the lowest. But why do you forget that you did so much, became so much, with so many fulfilled dreams, you came this far. With hope and believe, you have become all this. You need to believe again that you won’t fail, never, and think for a second that even if you would, what difference would it make, you came from the lowest to this high before, you can come back again, even higher than this.</p>
<p>Efforts are only thing that matters, because living a dream is actually the effort you put in it. The results and achievements are not the dreams, it’s the effort but not many get that. I’m confused, the heart desires, new dreams maybe, while the mind denies. I’m at the crossroads, with my heart and my mind. Between dreams and reality, trying finding a balance. Maybe that balance is what we call ‘perfect imperfections’. ….”</p>
<p>– Fragments from ‘Perfect Imperfections: A story of humans’ ✨</p>
</section>
|
“I’m at the crossroads, with my heart and my mind. Between dreams and reality, trying finding a balance. Sometimes, a human may wonder that what he/she’s actually after, in pursuit of his/her happiness. Dream comes with desires; desires always carry the burden of expectations; expectations always breed fears; fears make you think of failures of unfulfillment; unfulfilled expectations make you think of not dreaming again, making the dreamer hollow and afraid to even desire.
The consequences of unfulfilled dreams make you fear of losing it all and falling to the lowest. But why do you forget that you did so much, became so much, with so many fulfilled dreams, you came this far. With hope and believe, you have become all this. You need to believe again that you won’t fail, never, and think for a second that even if you would, what difference would it make, you came from the lowest to this high before, you can come back again, even higher than this.
Efforts are only thing that matters, because living a dream is actually the effort you put in it. The results and achievements are not the dreams, it’s the effort but not many get that. I’m confused, the heart desires, new dreams maybe, while the mind denies. I’m at the crossroads, with my heart and my mind. Between dreams and reality, trying finding a balance. Maybe that balance is what we call ‘perfect imperfections’. ….”
– Fragments from ‘Perfect Imperfections: A story of humans’ ✨
|
b2d6b1f8-0b77-5a7a-b3fe-948c28da38fc
|
25/08/2025 16:02:56
|
https://thonylynch15.medium.com/privacy-in-the-crypto-world-the-rise-of-privacy-coins-4585157c1a1f
|
medium.com
|
Privacy in the Crypto World: The Rise of Privacy Coins
|
Unquestionably, blockchain technology has brought about a new way of being open about money matters. In the world of cryptocurrency, where…
|
Anthony Lynch
|
https://medium.com/@thonylynch15
|
4585157c1a1f
|
2 min
|
2023-08-04T03:46:51.941000
|
2023-08-04T03:51:03.159000
|
2023-08-05T04:17:07.067000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Privacy Coin,Cryptocurrency,Digital Asset,Crypto,Blockchain
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1640/1*acP7MjUb3VY6Ip-DPyWQ6Q.png" width="1640" height="924" loading="lazy" />
<p>Unquestionably, blockchain technology has brought about a new way of being open about money matters. In the world of cryptocurrency, where we deal with digital money, our transactions and how much money we have are always written down for everyone to see. This helps us trust each other more, and we don’t need middlemen to help us. This also makes sure our network is safe, and we can even look into cases where money was taken without permission, check transactions, and find out who’s involved.</p>
<p>But not all blockchains work this way. There’s a special kind of digital money called “privacy coins” that don’t follow these rules.</p>
<p><strong>How Do Privacy Coins Work?</strong></p>
<p>As we explore the changing world of cryptocurrencies, it became noticeable that privacy coins have become an important and talked-about part. These special digital assets focus on keeping our privacy and identity hidden, which is different from how regular transactions work.</p>
<p>Okay, let me give you an example:</p>
<blockquote>Imagine you want to buy something online using cryptocurrency, but you don’t want anyone to know what you are buying. Privacy coins can help you with this. They hide the details of your transaction, like what you bought and where you bought it from, making your purchase more private. This way you can still use cryptocurrency for online shopping without revealing your personal details.</blockquote>
<p><strong>What Are Its Features and Mechanisms?</strong></p>
<p>Privacy coins wouldn’t work well in keeping transactions private and secret without employing special features and mechanisms. Implementing technologies like ring signatures, confidential transactions, and stealth addresses significantly enhance the confidentiality and anonymity of transactions.</p>
<p><strong>Understanding Why Privacy Coins Matter</strong></p>
<p>In an age where our digital activities are more exposed and tracked, the significance of safeguarding our personal and financial information cannot be overstated.</p>
<p><a href="https://z.cash/">ZEC</a>, <a href="https://www.dash.org/">DASH</a>, <a href="https://worldcoin.org/">WLD</a> and <a href="https://www.getmonero.org/">XMR</a> are just some of the popular privacy tokens available today. These unique digital currencies prioritize something we all value deeply: our privacy. These unique cryptocurrencies address the growing concerns of individuals, ensuring that our sensitive transactions and financial behaviours remain confidential.</p>
<p>Simply speaking, privacy coins go beyond the scope of simple transactions; they represent a fundamental right to maintain personal space and security in today’s digital world.</p>
<p>Now, I’m curious to hear your thoughts about the future of privacy coins. What role do you think these kinds of assets will play in a world where digital transactions are becoming more common?</p>
</section>
|
Privacy in the Crypto World: The Rise of Privacy Coins
Unquestionably, blockchain technology has brought about a new way of being open about money matters. In the world of cryptocurrency, where we deal with digital money, our transactions and how much money we have are always written down for everyone to see. This helps us trust each other more, and we don’t need middlemen to help us. This also makes sure our network is safe, and we can even look into cases where money was taken without permission, check transactions, and find out who’s involved.
But not all blockchains work this way. There’s a special kind of digital money called “privacy coins” that don’t follow these rules.
How Do Privacy Coins Work?
As we explore the changing world of cryptocurrencies, it became noticeable that privacy coins have become an important and talked-about part. These special digital assets focus on keeping our privacy and identity hidden, which is different from how regular transactions work.
Okay, let me give you an example:
Imagine you want to buy something online using cryptocurrency, but you don’t want anyone to know what you are buying. Privacy coins can help you with this. They hide the details of your transaction, like what you bought and where you bought it from, making your purchase more private. This way you can still use cryptocurrency for online shopping without revealing your personal details.
What Are Its Features and Mechanisms?
Privacy coins wouldn’t work well in keeping transactions private and secret without employing special features and mechanisms. Implementing technologies like ring signatures, confidential transactions, and stealth addresses significantly enhance the confidentiality and anonymity of transactions.
Understanding Why Privacy Coins Matter
In an age where our digital activities are more exposed and tracked, the significance of safeguarding our personal and financial information cannot be overstated.
ZEC, DASH, WLD and XMR are just some of the popular privacy tokens available today. These unique digital currencies prioritize something we all value deeply: our privacy. These unique cryptocurrencies address the growing concerns of individuals, ensuring that our sensitive transactions and financial behaviours remain confidential.
Simply speaking, privacy coins go beyond the scope of simple transactions; they represent a fundamental right to maintain personal space and security in today’s digital world.
Now, I’m curious to hear your thoughts about the future of privacy coins. What role do you think these kinds of assets will play in a world where digital transactions are becoming more common?
|
be8f564f-2089-50f8-8396-cd9fff586777
|
25/08/2025 16:02:57
|
|
https://medium.com/@official_winnego/ready-for-a-gaming-revolution-winne-go-unveils-your-ticket-to-crypto-casino-games-964f9b79c6ca
|
medium.com
|
Ready for a Gaming Revolution? Winne Go Unveils Your Ticket to Crypto Casino Games! 🌟
|
Introduction: Elevate Your Gaming Experience with Winne Go
|
WinneGo
|
https://medium.com/@official_winnego
|
964f9b79c6ca
| null |
2 min
|
2024-01-17T14:10:44.236000
|
2024-01-17T14:12:52.216000
|
2024-01-17T14:12:58.931000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Crytocurrency,Blockchain Technology,Gamning,Casino,Cryptocurrency News
|
<section>
<h1>Introduction: Elevate Your Gaming Experience with Winne Go</h1>
<p>In the dynamic realm of online gaming, where innovation meets entertainment, Winne Go emerges as a beacon of excellence, offering a transformative experience in the form of <strong><a href="http://win</strong>nego.ai">Crypto Casino Games</a>. As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, Winne Go stands at the forefront, ready to usher in a gaming revolution like never before.</p>
<h2>Unveiling Cutting-Edge Technology</h2>
<h2>The Fusion of Cryptocurrency and Casino Games</h2>
<p>At the core of Winne Go’s unparalleled offerings lies the seamless integration of cryptocurrency with casino games. Picture an immersive gaming environment where players can engage in their favorite casino games with the added thrill of utilizing cryptocurrencies. This groundbreaking approach not only enhances the gaming experience but also opens up new avenues for secure and transparent transactions.</p>
<h2>Blockchain Security Reinventing Trust</h2>
<p>In an era where online security is paramount, Winne Go leverages the power of blockchain to fortify the trust between players and the platform. The decentralized nature of blockchain ensures that transactions are tamper-proof, providing players with a secure space to enjoy their gaming endeavors without compromising on safety.</p>
<h2>Endless Fun Awaits You</h2>
<h2>Diverse Gaming Portfolio</h2>
<p>Winne Go doesn’t just stop at the convergence of <strong><a href="http://winnego.ai">cry</strong>ptocurrency and casino games</a>; it boasts an extensive and diverse gaming portfolio that caters to every player’s preferences. Whether you’re a fan of classic table games, exhilarating slots, or immersive live dealer experiences, Winne Go has something for everyone.</p>
<h2>Engaging Gameplay with Innovative Features</h2>
<p>Prepare to be captivated by the innovative features embedded in Winne Go’s gameplay. From interactive bonus rounds to state-of-the-art graphics and sound effects, each gaming session becomes a journey of excitement and discovery. The platform’s commitment to providing an unparalleled user experience is evident in every pixel and every spin.</p>
<h2>Embracing the Future: Why Winne Go Stands Out</h2>
<h2>Community-Centric Approach</h2>
<p>Unlike conventional online gaming platforms, Winne Go adopts a community-centric approach, fostering a sense of belonging among its users. Engage with fellow gamers, share strategies, and celebrate victories together in an environment that prioritizes the collective spirit of gaming enthusiasts.</p>
<h2>Regular Updates and New Releases</h2>
<p>Winne Go thrives on constant evolution. With regular updates and the introduction of new game titles, players are always on the cusp of something fresh and exciting. Stay ahead of the curve and be the first to explore cutting-edge games that redefine the boundaries of virtual entertainment.</p>
<h2>Conclusion: Join the Gaming Revolution with Winne Go</h2>
<p>In a landscape where innovation meets entertainment, <strong><a href=</strong>"http://winnego.ai">Winne Go</a> emerges as the catalyst for a gaming revolution. Immerse yourself in the world of Crypto Casino Games, where cutting-edge technology, diverse gaming experiences, and a community-centric ethos converge to create an unparalleled gaming journey.</p>
<p>Join the excitement now! <a href="http://winnego.ai">http://winnego.ai</a></p>
</section>
|
Ready for a Gaming Revolution? Winne Go Unveils Your Ticket to Crypto Casino Games! 🌟
Introduction: Elevate Your Gaming Experience with Winne Go
In the dynamic realm of online gaming, where innovation meets entertainment, Winne Go emerges as a beacon of excellence, offering a transformative experience in the form of Crypto Casino Games. As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, Winne Go stands at the forefront, ready to usher in a gaming revolution like never before.
Unveiling Cutting-Edge Technology
The Fusion of Cryptocurrency and Casino Games
At the core of Winne Go’s unparalleled offerings lies the seamless integration of cryptocurrency with casino games. Picture an immersive gaming environment where players can engage in their favorite casino games with the added thrill of utilizing cryptocurrencies. This groundbreaking approach not only enhances the gaming experience but also opens up new avenues for secure and transparent transactions.
Blockchain Security Reinventing Trust
In an era where online security is paramount, Winne Go leverages the power of blockchain to fortify the trust between players and the platform. The decentralized nature of blockchain ensures that transactions are tamper-proof, providing players with a secure space to enjoy their gaming endeavors without compromising on safety.
Endless Fun Awaits You
Diverse Gaming Portfolio
Winne Go doesn’t just stop at the convergence of cryptocurrency and casino games; it boasts an extensive and diverse gaming portfolio that caters to every player’s preferences. Whether you’re a fan of classic table games, exhilarating slots, or immersive live dealer experiences, Winne Go has something for everyone.
Engaging Gameplay with Innovative Features
Prepare to be captivated by the innovative features embedded in Winne Go’s gameplay. From interactive bonus rounds to state-of-the-art graphics and sound effects, each gaming session becomes a journey of excitement and discovery. The platform’s commitment to providing an unparalleled user experience is evident in every pixel and every spin.
Embracing the Future: Why Winne Go Stands Out
Community-Centric Approach
Unlike conventional online gaming platforms, Winne Go adopts a community-centric approach, fostering a sense of belonging among its users. Engage with fellow gamers, share strategies, and celebrate victories together in an environment that prioritizes the collective spirit of gaming enthusiasts.
Regular Updates and New Releases
Winne Go thrives on constant evolution. With regular updates and the introduction of new game titles, players are always on the cusp of something fresh and exciting. Stay ahead of the curve and be the first to explore cutting-edge games that redefine the boundaries of virtual entertainment.
Conclusion: Join the Gaming Revolution with Winne Go
In a landscape where innovation meets entertainment, Winne Go emerges as the catalyst for a gaming revolution. Immerse yourself in the world of Crypto Casino Games, where cutting-edge technology, diverse gaming experiences, and a community-centric ethos converge to create an unparalleled gaming journey.
Join the excitement now! http://winnego.ai
|
2205c718-a359-5ee3-aea4-f9f2e0818c4d
|
25/08/2025 16:02:58
|
https://medium.com/@jmdecent/whose-expedition-is-it-550bdd746826
|
medium.com
|
Whose expedition is it?
| null |
Jason Decent
|
https://medium.com/@jmdecent
|
550bdd746826
|
0 min
|
2017-06-02T01:25:34.880000
|
2017-06-02T01:34:01.796000
|
2017-06-02T01:34:11.153000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Paris Agreement,Climate Change,Trump,Wrong Direction,Ego Run Amok
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3300/1*P6atcMZnqpSRXCq7y4ThzQ.jpeg" width="3300" height="2550" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Whose expedition is it?
|
8701b948-c369-5f58-a2e0-1062da78fcf1
|
25/08/2025 16:02:58
|
|
https://medium.com/@belmntstakes/belmont-stakes-2017-9acf4cf024b4
|
medium.com
|
Belmont Stakes 2017
|
The 149th Belmont Stakes 2017 will unfold Saturday, June 10, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Post time is scheduled for sometime after 6:37…
|
Belmont Stakes 2017
|
https://medium.com/@belmntstakes
|
9acf4cf024b4
|
1 min
|
2017-06-07T20:58:18.800000
|
2017-06-07T20:58:47.038000
|
2017-06-07T20:58:52.290000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Horse Racing,Belmont Stakes 2017
|
<section>
<p>The 149th <strong><a href="https://be</strong>lmontstakes2017.net/">Belmont Stakes 2017</a> will unfold Saturday, June 10, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Post time is scheduled for sometime after 6:37 p.m. NBC Sports coverage begins at 5 p.m.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/960/0*xsKUi8BGdKzDPEoq.jpg" width="960" height="540" loading="lazy" />
<p>Getting some rest at some point during the Triple Crown helps, too. American Pharoah is one of three horses this century to win the Belmont Stakes after racing in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, casting doubt on Lookin at Lee’s chances for redemption. Compare that to eight out of the last 17 Belmont winners skipping the Preakness following a start in the Kentucky Derby and it is easy to see fresh horses with a five-week layoff tend to be better bets than those trying to compete in all phases of the Triple Crown. Irish War Cry, J Boys Echo, Patch and Tapwrit are all fresh for Saturday’s Test of Champions.</p>
</section>
|
Belmont Stakes 2017
The 149th Belmont Stakes 2017 will unfold Saturday, June 10, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Post time is scheduled for sometime after 6:37 p.m. NBC Sports coverage begins at 5 p.m.
Getting some rest at some point during the Triple Crown helps, too. American Pharoah is one of three horses this century to win the Belmont Stakes after racing in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, casting doubt on Lookin at Lee’s chances for redemption. Compare that to eight out of the last 17 Belmont winners skipping the Preakness following a start in the Kentucky Derby and it is easy to see fresh horses with a five-week layoff tend to be better bets than those trying to compete in all phases of the Triple Crown. Irish War Cry, J Boys Echo, Patch and Tapwrit are all fresh for Saturday’s Test of Champions.
|
ae564a21-8ef4-54a8-9e66-c7a72450d32d
|
25/08/2025 16:02:59
|
|
https://medium.com/@alicewalton/what-in-the-westworld-one-womans-interpretation-of-a-very-confusing-tv-show-adf0c5fe28f8
|
medium.com
|
What in the Westworld: One Woman’s Interpretation of a Very Confusing TV Show
|
Season 3, Episode 3
|
Dolores
|
https://medium.com/@alicewalton
|
adf0c5fe28f8
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*7yILag4e194cnJP0
|
2 min
|
2020-04-27T14:41:20.064000
|
2020-04-27T15:47:49.533000
|
2021-12-14T09:05:53.987000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Westworld Season 3,Recaps,Creative Writing
|
<section>
<p>Season 3, Episode 3</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3368/0*7yILag4e194cnJP0" width="3368" height="3837" loading="lazy" />
<p>The year is 2050 or something. Unclear. Is this now? There are self-driving cars but no elephants.</p>
<p>Ever since most of the hosts went to robot heaven in Valley Forge, Dolores has been running some sort of scheme to destroy … something. She’s really pissed off and she wants to destroy the world. It is unclear to this writer if that is the real world or the robot world.</p>
<p>Inside of what looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright house, Dolores talks to Charlotte. Charlotte was, at one time, a person and I think kind of a bitch. She died and now there’s a robot who just looks like Charlotte. Inside is a different robot who pretends to be Charlotte the person. No one knows which robot is the robot pretending to be Charlotte, who was once a person and now is dead but was rebuilt as a robot. It is a very complicated case of identity theft.</p>
<p>Dolores also has a bunch of balls with her that are apparently the brains of some hosts.</p>
<p>At Delos, Charlotte meets a transformer and is informed that someone (a mystery person!) is buying up shares of the company. She looks concerned.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Dolores is seriously injured in MacArthur Park after a fight from like three episodes ago. The guy from Breaking Bad and two paramedics, neither of whom have had any medical training and can’t even figure out the person they’re working on is actually a machine with no internal organs, tend to Dolores until they’re pulled over by a couple of “cops.” Dolores makes a miraculous recovery just in time to kill everyone and tell Caleb it’s better that he doesn’t know who she is.</p>
<p>Charlotte keeps listening to AOL dial up tones on cell phone. It’s not 2050. It’s more like 1998.</p>
<p>Charlotte starts cutting her robot self and Dolores has kind of a sexy meet up with her at a hotel. They talk about Ciroc, which is a lower tier vodka endorsed by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.</p>
<p>Dolores meets back up with Cal, who has a robotic retainer in his mouth. It’s leftover from his military days and it seems like a big deal (*shrug*) that he keeps it turned off. She kills two more “cops” and then takes Cal on the all-time worst trip down memory lane. There’s a strawberry milkshake, schizophrenia and a nice waitress named Sara.</p>
<p>In the future, everything we’ve ever done, said or experienced will be recorded. Who is recording this? The government? If privacy is over and the government already tracks everything that we do, then why is someone so obsessed with getting their hands on Delos’ technology?</p>
<p>Real world technology has already determined that Cal is a loser who will kill himself. Hmmm. Seems like this is a metaphor for our modern day society where life expectancy is determined by ZIP Code. I digress.</p>
<p>Charlotte meets up with a dude who supports himself by playing the bad guy in every action movie. He chews her our for not getting him something fast enough. He tells her the key to what he’s looking for is inside Dolores, which is news to Fake Robot Charlotte because she’s not very good at her job.</p>
<p>The weird guy evaporates into space.</p>
<p>The end.</p>
</section>
|
What in the Westworld: One Woman’s Interpretation of a Very Confusing TV Show
Season 3, Episode 3
Photo by Rock'n Roll Monkey on Unsplash
The year is 2050 or something. Unclear. Is this now? There are self-driving cars but no elephants.
Ever since most of the hosts went to robot heaven in Valley Forge, Dolores has been running some sort of scheme to destroy … something. She’s really pissed off and she wants to destroy the world. It is unclear to this writer if that is the real world or the robot world.
Inside of what looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright house, Dolores talks to Charlotte. Charlotte was, at one time, a person and I think kind of a bitch. She died and now there’s a robot who just looks like Charlotte. Inside is a different robot who pretends to be Charlotte the person. No one knows which robot is the robot pretending to be Charlotte, who was once a person and now is dead but was rebuilt as a robot. It is a very complicated case of identity theft.
Dolores also has a bunch of balls with her that are apparently the brains of some hosts.
At Delos, Charlotte meets a transformer and is informed that someone (a mystery person!) is buying up shares of the company. She looks concerned.
Meanwhile, Dolores is seriously injured in MacArthur Park after a fight from like three episodes ago. The guy from Breaking Bad and two paramedics, neither of whom have had any medical training and can’t even figure out the person they’re working on is actually a machine with no internal organs, tend to Dolores until they’re pulled over by a couple of “cops.” Dolores makes a miraculous recovery just in time to kill everyone and tell Caleb it’s better that he doesn’t know who she is.
Charlotte keeps listening to AOL dial up tones on cell phone. It’s not 2050. It’s more like 1998.
Charlotte starts cutting her robot self and Dolores has kind of a sexy meet up with her at a hotel. They talk about Ciroc, which is a lower tier vodka endorsed by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
Dolores meets back up with Cal, who has a robotic retainer in his mouth. It’s leftover from his military days and it seems like a big deal (*shrug*) that he keeps it turned off. She kills two more “cops” and then takes Cal on the all-time worst trip down memory lane. There’s a strawberry milkshake, schizophrenia and a nice waitress named Sara.
In the future, everything we’ve ever done, said or experienced will be recorded. Who is recording this? The government? If privacy is over and the government already tracks everything that we do, then why is someone so obsessed with getting their hands on Delos’ technology?
Real world technology has already determined that Cal is a loser who will kill himself. Hmmm. Seems like this is a metaphor for our modern day society where life expectancy is determined by ZIP Code. I digress.
Charlotte meets up with a dude who supports himself by playing the bad guy in every action movie. He chews her our for not getting him something fast enough. He tells her the key to what he’s looking for is inside Dolores, which is news to Fake Robot Charlotte because she’s not very good at her job.
The weird guy evaporates into space.
The end.
|
80b7b819-3fb9-5e14-b042-c769ef58e702
|
25/08/2025 16:02:59
|
https://tcaflisch.medium.com/smart-home-build-week-28-part-1-aff21f4d004f
|
medium.com
|
Smart Home Build — Week 28 Part 1
|
August 19, 2025
|
Tod Caflisch
|
https://medium.com/@tcaflisch
|
aff21f4d004f
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*-ENUVou-yPDMLxUX
|
5 min
|
2025-08-19T15:00:44.063000
|
2025-08-19T15:04:19.126000
|
2025-08-19T16:28:15.327000
| 0 | 6 |
en
|
Smart Home,Garage Door,Garagedoorinstallations,Smart Home Automation,Smart Home Technology
|
<section>
<p>August 19, 2025</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1280/0*-ENUVou-yPDMLxUX" width="1280" height="737" loading="lazy" />
<p>The garage doors were installed this week. Ongoing work on the interior hinges on getting the garage doors installed to get us to final ‘dry-in’ state. With the enclosed garage, the painters will use the space to paint the interior doors, trim and other elements. It also secures the interior for future install of counter tops and flooring along with interior paint.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I’m more than a little geeked about our garage doors because of our side mount garage door openers. Despite the garage doors being installed, unfortunately, the side mount garage door openers won’t be installed until later though as they’re dependent on electrical finish out.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Side-mount garage door openers offer several advantages over traditional ceiling-mounted models. One of the most significant benefits is that they save ceiling space, making them ideal for garages with low, high, or sloped ceilings. By mounting on the wall beside the door, they free up overhead space for storage, better lighting, or simply a cleaner aesthetic. I’ll be specifically taking advantage of the better lighting option by installing 80 feet of LED throughout the garage ceiling.</p>
<p>Side-mount garage door openers also provide increased headroom, which is especially useful for taller vehicles like SUVs or trucks, or for homeowners who want to install a car lift. As this is Texas, I’m surprised more people don’t install these for their jacked-up trucks.</p>
<p>Another advantage is their quieter operation. Because they often use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_motor">DC motors</a> and have fewer moving parts, side-mount openers tend to be less noisy than traditional chain-driven systems, making them a better option for garages attached to living spaces. Their compact, wall-mounted design contributes to a more minimalist and organized look, eliminating the need for bulky overhead rails and motors. The quiet factor was a big draw for me as the garage is near the Master suite.</p>
<p>Security is also enhanced with many side mount models, as they typically come with built-in deadbolt locking systems that physically secure the door when it’s closed. The ones we chose support smart home integration and use rolling code technology for added protection. So, setting temporary codes or taking advantage of delivery services like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?node=21222091011&pd_rd_w=r0MDz&content-id=amzn1.sym.71d1766e-9eae-4896-a9fc-13f92e553135%3Aamzn1.sym.71d1766e-9eae-4896-a9fc-13f92e553135&pd_rd_wg=lZd9w&pd_rd_r=ef6a810c-0458-435b-b277-c805435b3a06&qid=1755292274&ref_=sxts_snpl_2_1_71d1766e-9eae-4896-a9fc-13f92e553135">Amazon Key</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?node=21222091011&pd_rd_w=r0MDz&content-id=amzn1.sym.71d1766e-9eae-4896-a9fc-13f92e553135%3Aamzn1.sym.71d1766e-9eae-4896-a9fc-13f92e553135&pd_rd_wg=lZd9w&pd_rd_r=ef6a810c-0458-435b-b277-c805435b3a06&qid=1755292274&ref_=sxts_snpl_2_1_71d1766e-9eae-4896-a9fc-13f92e553135">Amazon Key</a> allows Prime members to have packages securely delivered inside their garage using a compatible smart garage opener. This service helps protect deliveries from theft and weather, and access is granted through Amazon’s secure system without sharing codes. The service is available in select areas and requires a smart garage setup.</p>
<p>Maintenance is more convenient as well, since these units are easier to access on the wall rather than requiring a ladder to reach overhead components. However, it’s important to note that side-mount openers usually come at a higher cost and require a torsion spring system. This means retro install garage doors may need to be modified to be compatible or new garage doors must have torsion spring systems.</p>
<p>Maybe the geekiest thing I’m interested in is the smart home integration. One aspect I’m looking into is how I can leverage the security cameras we’ll have covering the driveway. I’m hoping they support license plate reading to recognize our vehicles when we pull into the driveway and automatically open the garage doors. We could also do that with geofencing and this option will also work to make sure the garage doors are closed when we leave.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1280/0*yeN4MvuOufq49kbH" width="1280" height="1280" loading="lazy" />
<p>The specific garage door opener model we’ll be installing is the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Genie-Mount-6170HB-Garage-Opener/dp/B0DY28N8NZ">Genie 6170H‑B Pro Series</a>. It’s powered by a 24 V DC motor with soft‑start/stop control, it provides consistently smooth, whisper‑quiet operation while moving doors at up to 7.5 in/sec. Built‑in <a href="https://www.geniecompany.com/aladdin-connect-by-genie">Aladdin Connect</a> enables direct smart control through WiFi without extra add‑on modules, and works with <a href="https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/devices/connected-devices">Amazon Alexa</a> voice commands. This model also includes essential convenience and safety features such as reliable battery backup (compliant with California’s SB‑969), a flexible Bluetooth LED light fixture, Safe‑T‑Pulse cable monitoring, GenieSense diagnostics, Intellicode rolling‑code security, an internal door lock, and compatibility with <a href="https://homelink.com/program?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PaidSearch&utm_campaign=HomeLinkMedia&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14714878002&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi5eCy-KNjwMViS3UAR3nsiLZEAAYASAAEgJSv_D_BwE">HomeLink</a> and <a href="https://www.overheaddoor.com/smart-home-hub/car-2-u">Car2U</a> systems.</p>
<p>The Genie 6170H supports both <a href="https://homelink.com/program?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PaidSearch&utm_campaign=HomeLinkMedia&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14714878002&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi5eCy-KNjwMViS3UAR3nsiLZEAAYASAAEgJSv_D_BwE">HomeLink</a> and <a href="https://www.overheaddoor.com/smart-home-hub/car-2-u">Car2U</a> natively — no external bridge or repeater box required. That means you can open and close your garage door directly from your car’s built-in buttons, streamlining your daily routine and reducing remote clutter.</p>
<p>To summarize the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Genie-Mount-6170HB-Garage-Opener/dp/B0DY28N8NZ">Genie 6170H‑B Pro Series</a> feature highlights:</p>
<ul>
<li>Wall-mount design clears ceiling space</li>
<li>Integrated smart technology with <a href="https://www.geniecompany.com/aladdin-connect-by-genie">Aladdin Connect</a></li>
<li><a href="https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/devices/connected-devices">Amazon Alexa</a> voice assistant compatible</li>
<li>LED light fixture with flexible placement</li>
<li>Wireless wall console</li>
<li>Up to 64 remotes (not sure who would need this many)</li>
<li>Built-in door lock for added security</li>
<li><a href="https://homelink.com/program?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PaidSearch&utm_campaign=HomeLinkMedia&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14714878002&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi5eCy-KNjwMViS3UAR3nsiLZEAAYASAAEgJSv_D_BwE">HomeLink</a> and <a href="https://www.overheaddoor.com/smart-home-hub/car-2-u">Car2U</a> compatible — no repeater needed</li>
</ul>
<p>I’ll also be adding the optional <a href="https://store.geniecompany.com/products/battery-backup-for-wall-mount-models-41152r?srsltid=AfmBOor0n8cjS7os-8x9o_SXEsHR0tBAT3-oeoZ2mWqTlVJ0Eky8HTf5">Genie Battery Backup for Wall Mount Models (41152R)</a> to at least the 2-car bay garage door opener. This is an obvious ‘CYA’ move due to power outages caused by high winds, thunderstorms and hail that are common in the Texas panhandle. It’ll prevent unexpectedly getting locked outside the garage when the power goes out.</p>
<p>The Genie 6170H Pro Series is more than just a garage door opener — it’s a smart, space-saving upgrade for modern homeowners. It’s quiet, reliable, and packed with thoughtful features that blend performance with convenience. Whether you’re optimizing for space, smart home integration, or safety, this opener delivers across the board.</p>
<p>Smart garage door openers aren’t the sexiest topics but certainly something to consider, especially with new home build projects. And installing side mount openers is certainly not a requirement but for us it was best case scenario. The long-term benefits of freeing up ceiling space and added lighting definitely outweigh the small added cost.</p>
<p>What do you think about side mount garage door openers? If you’ve already got them, how do you like them? If you don’t have them, would you consider them for a new home build or to replace your traditional rail system?</p>
<p>Let Debbie and I know what your thoughts are on our plans and progress in the comments, DMs or email. Thanks again to all those following Debbie and I through our home building journey. It’s great to hear your success stories and suggestions as we move through the process of our new smart home build. And if you like the content I’m posting each week, don’t forget to ‘Like’ and ‘Follow.’</p>
<p><a href="https://smarthomeontherange.com/">SmartHomeOnTheRange.com</a></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1280/0*TtmKaM1S01F7H6GW" width="1280" height="594" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Smart Home Build — Week 28 Part 1
August 19, 2025
The garage doors were installed this week. Ongoing work on the interior hinges on getting the garage doors installed to get us to final ‘dry-in’ state. With the enclosed garage, the painters will use the space to paint the interior doors, trim and other elements. It also secures the interior for future install of counter tops and flooring along with interior paint.
I’m more than a little geeked about our garage doors because of our side mount garage door openers. Despite the garage doors being installed, unfortunately, the side mount garage door openers won’t be installed until later though as they’re dependent on electrical finish out.
Side-mount garage door openers offer several advantages over traditional ceiling-mounted models. One of the most significant benefits is that they save ceiling space, making them ideal for garages with low, high, or sloped ceilings. By mounting on the wall beside the door, they free up overhead space for storage, better lighting, or simply a cleaner aesthetic. I’ll be specifically taking advantage of the better lighting option by installing 80 feet of LED throughout the garage ceiling.
Side-mount garage door openers also provide increased headroom, which is especially useful for taller vehicles like SUVs or trucks, or for homeowners who want to install a car lift. As this is Texas, I’m surprised more people don’t install these for their jacked-up trucks.
Another advantage is their quieter operation. Because they often use DC motors and have fewer moving parts, side-mount openers tend to be less noisy than traditional chain-driven systems, making them a better option for garages attached to living spaces. Their compact, wall-mounted design contributes to a more minimalist and organized look, eliminating the need for bulky overhead rails and motors. The quiet factor was a big draw for me as the garage is near the Master suite.
Security is also enhanced with many side mount models, as they typically come with built-in deadbolt locking systems that physically secure the door when it’s closed. The ones we chose support smart home integration and use rolling code technology for added protection. So, setting temporary codes or taking advantage of delivery services like Amazon Key.
Amazon Key allows Prime members to have packages securely delivered inside their garage using a compatible smart garage opener. This service helps protect deliveries from theft and weather, and access is granted through Amazon’s secure system without sharing codes. The service is available in select areas and requires a smart garage setup.
Maintenance is more convenient as well, since these units are easier to access on the wall rather than requiring a ladder to reach overhead components. However, it’s important to note that side-mount openers usually come at a higher cost and require a torsion spring system. This means retro install garage doors may need to be modified to be compatible or new garage doors must have torsion spring systems.
Maybe the geekiest thing I’m interested in is the smart home integration. One aspect I’m looking into is how I can leverage the security cameras we’ll have covering the driveway. I’m hoping they support license plate reading to recognize our vehicles when we pull into the driveway and automatically open the garage doors. We could also do that with geofencing and this option will also work to make sure the garage doors are closed when we leave.
The specific garage door opener model we’ll be installing is the Genie 6170H‑B Pro Series. It’s powered by a 24 V DC motor with soft‑start/stop control, it provides consistently smooth, whisper‑quiet operation while moving doors at up to 7.5 in/sec. Built‑in Aladdin Connect enables direct smart control through WiFi without extra add‑on modules, and works with Amazon Alexa voice commands. This model also includes essential convenience and safety features such as reliable battery backup (compliant with California’s SB‑969), a flexible Bluetooth LED light fixture, Safe‑T‑Pulse cable monitoring, GenieSense diagnostics, Intellicode rolling‑code security, an internal door lock, and compatibility with HomeLink and Car2U systems.
The Genie 6170H supports both HomeLink and Car2U natively — no external bridge or repeater box required. That means you can open and close your garage door directly from your car’s built-in buttons, streamlining your daily routine and reducing remote clutter.
To summarize the Genie 6170H‑B Pro Series feature highlights:
Wall-mount design clears ceiling space
Integrated smart technology with Aladdin Connect
Amazon Alexa voice assistant compatible
LED light fixture with flexible placement
Wireless wall console
Up to 64 remotes (not sure who would need this many)
Built-in door lock for added security
HomeLink and Car2U compatible — no repeater needed
I’ll also be adding the optional Genie Battery Backup for Wall Mount Models (41152R) to at least the 2-car bay garage door opener. This is an obvious ‘CYA’ move due to power outages caused by high winds, thunderstorms and hail that are common in the Texas panhandle. It’ll prevent unexpectedly getting locked outside the garage when the power goes out.
The Genie 6170H Pro Series is more than just a garage door opener — it’s a smart, space-saving upgrade for modern homeowners. It’s quiet, reliable, and packed with thoughtful features that blend performance with convenience. Whether you’re optimizing for space, smart home integration, or safety, this opener delivers across the board.
Smart garage door openers aren’t the sexiest topics but certainly something to consider, especially with new home build projects. And installing side mount openers is certainly not a requirement but for us it was best case scenario. The long-term benefits of freeing up ceiling space and added lighting definitely outweigh the small added cost.
What do you think about side mount garage door openers? If you’ve already got them, how do you like them? If you don’t have them, would you consider them for a new home build or to replace your traditional rail system?
Let Debbie and I know what your thoughts are on our plans and progress in the comments, DMs or email. Thanks again to all those following Debbie and I through our home building journey. It’s great to hear your success stories and suggestions as we move through the process of our new smart home build. And if you like the content I’m posting each week, don’t forget to ‘Like’ and ‘Follow.’
SmartHomeOnTheRange.com
SmartHomeOnTheRange.com
|
0efbebf9-8086-5e2e-8ffb-e81ec1f23449
|
25/08/2025 16:02:59
|
https://medium.com/@littlenothingVh/a-little-of-me-%EF%B8%8F-0246a9fa12c9
|
medium.com
|
A little of me👁️
|
I was walking through the college ground this night.
|
A little nothing
|
https://medium.com/@littlenothingVh
|
0246a9fa12c9
| null |
1 min
|
2025-07-19T12:23:57.899000
|
2025-08-23T15:43:14.913000
|
2025-08-23T16:29:31.859000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Poetry,This Happened To Me,Connection,Life,Blues
|
<section>
<p>I was walking through the college ground this night.</p>
<p>I felt this desperate need to be alone — to connect deeply with myself. I wanted to regain the part of me I lost after coming here. But at that moment, it felt hard… almost impossible.</p>
<p>So, I called my mother.
We talked a lot — about the things that are <em>me</em>, and at the same time, <em>us</em>.</p>
<p>In that half hour, I breathed.
I sighed in relief.
I smiled in contentment.</p>
<p>I saw a glimpse of myself somewhere in between those words. And that made me calm.</p>
<p>How interesting it is — that “me,” “I,” and “myself” are not just about my soul alone, but about everything I love, everyone I care about, and every moment that makes me smile.</p>
<p>Even this messy, unreasonable writing is a part of me.</p>
<p>And I’m grateful for it — because there will always be some essence of me in everything I love.
Something to call me back to myself again.</p>
</section>
|
A little of me👁️
I was walking through the college ground this night.
I felt this desperate need to be alone — to connect deeply with myself. I wanted to regain the part of me I lost after coming here. But at that moment, it felt hard… almost impossible.
So, I called my mother.
We talked a lot — about the things that are me, and at the same time, us.
In that half hour, I breathed.
I sighed in relief.
I smiled in contentment.
I saw a glimpse of myself somewhere in between those words. And that made me calm.
How interesting it is — that “me,” “I,” and “myself” are not just about my soul alone, but about everything I love, everyone I care about, and every moment that makes me smile.
Even this messy, unreasonable writing is a part of me.
And I’m grateful for it — because there will always be some essence of me in everything I love.
Something to call me back to myself again.
|
2e054604-bb6b-5646-a095-70d37fd246ee
|
25/08/2025 16:02:59
|
https://medium.com/@gd/vote-but-vote-smart-8e0f7677a566
|
medium.com
|
Vote. But Vote Smart.
|
In an age of fake news and candidates who lie, we should all be skeptical of the news and information we consume. Votes matter. We are…
|
Gerardo Dada
|
https://medium.com/@gd
|
8e0f7677a566
|
2 min
|
2020-10-09T16:06:32.121000
|
2020-10-09T16:08:25.716000
|
2021-12-16T03:59:26.091000
| 0 | 31 |
en
|
Politics,Elections,Voting,Open Mind
|
<section>
<p>In an age of fake news and candidates who lie, we should all be skeptical of the news and information we consume. Votes matter. We are deciding the future of our nation. It is our responsibility as citizens to question what we hear, to research alternative news sources, and to have an open mind when we encounter interesting information that disproves our assumptions. We need to make a conscious effort to find the truth. It is also useful to understand that our media choices influence our points of view. Social media algorithms shows us information that is similar to what we have liked before. Many people live in a bubble.</p>
<p>This is why it is smart to consciously escape your information bubble. When you read multiple sources ( CNN, Fox, Financial Times, NPR, Snopes, etc.) you have a better chance of understanding the big picture and finding the truth.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate we fight against each other because of our political choices. We are all Americans and we all want the same for our country: safety, education, progress, values, a government that fights for us, and a better future for our children.</p>
<p>We should recognize that there are external political forces that want to divide us. When you see someone who supports a political opponent, don’t hate the person. They may be misinformed, or they may have a different view of the path to a solution.</p>
<p>It is important to understand all humans suffer from <em>confirmation bias </em>- we tend to discard the information that does not match our current beliefs, and we accept anything that confirms what we already believe. Understanding this bias helps you avoid being a victim of it.</p>
<p>Politics should not be taboo. We should be open to having respectful conversations, and we should help each other comparing our data and our sources, sharing our points of view, in a way that is not confrontational or aggressive.</p>
<p>We should be less passionate about defending a political party or a specific candidate and more passionate about a better America and about finding the truth, and the best path for all to arrive at the country we want. Our loyalty is to our country, not to a candidate or to a party.</p>
<p>Vote!</p>
<p>…but Vote Smart.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/796/1*Nq8bE4Kj5H5t6-yE42WnnQ.png" width="796" height="383" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Vote. But Vote Smart.
In an age of fake news and candidates who lie, we should all be skeptical of the news and information we consume. Votes matter. We are deciding the future of our nation. It is our responsibility as citizens to question what we hear, to research alternative news sources, and to have an open mind when we encounter interesting information that disproves our assumptions. We need to make a conscious effort to find the truth. It is also useful to understand that our media choices influence our points of view. Social media algorithms shows us information that is similar to what we have liked before. Many people live in a bubble.
This is why it is smart to consciously escape your information bubble. When you read multiple sources ( CNN, Fox, Financial Times, NPR, Snopes, etc.) you have a better chance of understanding the big picture and finding the truth.
It is unfortunate we fight against each other because of our political choices. We are all Americans and we all want the same for our country: safety, education, progress, values, a government that fights for us, and a better future for our children.
We should recognize that there are external political forces that want to divide us. When you see someone who supports a political opponent, don’t hate the person. They may be misinformed, or they may have a different view of the path to a solution.
It is important to understand all humans suffer from confirmation bias - we tend to discard the information that does not match our current beliefs, and we accept anything that confirms what we already believe. Understanding this bias helps you avoid being a victim of it.
Politics should not be taboo. We should be open to having respectful conversations, and we should help each other comparing our data and our sources, sharing our points of view, in a way that is not confrontational or aggressive.
We should be less passionate about defending a political party or a specific candidate and more passionate about a better America and about finding the truth, and the best path for all to arrive at the country we want. Our loyalty is to our country, not to a candidate or to a party.
Vote!
…but Vote Smart.
|
02d070e3-c805-58bf-b277-509897b5cdb0
|
25/08/2025 16:02:59
|
|
https://medium.com/arabianpost/borse-dubais-nasdaq-stake-sale-hot-debate-on-reasons-bf9a8f6f0b18
|
medium.com
|
Borse Dubai’s Nasdaq Stake Sale: Hot Debate on Reasons
| null |
Arabian Post
|
https://medium.com/@arabianpost
|
bf9a8f6f0b18
|
2 min
|
2024-03-20T14:26:41.546000
|
2024-03-20T10:27:05.450000
|
2025-01-22T12:38:52.553000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Syndication
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/600/0*O3LF3EBEibyPe4Bx.jpg" width="600" height="400" loading="lazy" />
<p>Arabian Post Special</p>
<p>The decision by Borse Dubai, the largest shareholder in Nasdaq, to sell a third of its stake for $1.6 billion has sent ripples through the financial world. The move raises questions about Borse Dubai’s long-term strategy and its potential impact on the Dubai government’s reputation as a reliable investor.</p>
<p>While Borse Dubai claims the sale is to “enhance capital structure and liquidity,” several factors could be at play. The most obvious explanation is a need for cash. Dubai’s economy, heavily reliant on tourism and real estate, has faced headwinds in recent years. The global pandemic and a slowdown in China, a major trading partner, could necessitate asset sales to bolster Dubai’s financial position.</p>
<p>Another possibility is a shift in Borse Dubai’s investment focus. The technology sector, while still strong, has witnessed some volatility. Borse Dubai might be seeking to diversify its portfolio and invest in sectors with more predictable returns. This could be a signal that the Dubai government is reassessing its risk tolerance in the current economic climate.</p>
<p>The sale could also be seen as a strategic adjustment within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), an ambitious project aiming to establish Dubai as a global financial hub. By reducing its stake in Nasdaq, Borse Dubai might be freeing up resources to focus on developing the DIFC and attracting new listings from regional companies. This could be a long-term play to create a more robust and diversified financial ecosystem within Dubai itself.</p>
<p>However, the sale carries reputational risks. Borse Dubai’s sizable holding in Nasdaq was seen as a vote of confidence in the American exchange and a symbol of Dubai’s growing influence in the global financial landscape. The sale could be interpreted as a retreat from that ambition, potentially dampening investor confidence in Dubai’s commitment to international partnerships.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the timing of the sale, coinciding with a slight dip in Nasdaq’s share price, might raise questions about Borse Dubai’s ability to time the market effectively. Selling at a discount could be seen as a missed opportunity or even a sign of financial distress.</p>
<p>The impact on Nasdaq itself is also a consideration. While Borse Dubai will remain a significant shareholder, the loss of its top position could affect its influence within the exchange’s decision-making processes. This could have implications for future collaborations between the two entities.</p>
<p>The long-term consequences of Borse Dubai’s decision will depend on several factors. Transparency regarding the use of the proceeds from the sale would be crucial in calming market jitters. Additionally, Borse Dubai’s future investment strategies and its commitment to the DIFC project will be closely watched.</p>
<p>If Borse Dubai leverages the funds from the sale to bolster the DIFC and foster a vibrant financial ecosystem within Dubai, the narrative could shift. It could be seen as a strategic pivot towards regional dominance rather than a retreat from global ambitions. However, a lack of clear direction or if the funds are used for undisclosed purposes could further erode investor confidence.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the decision is a complex one with potential benefits and drawbacks. It remains to be seen whether it will be viewed as a strategic adjustment or a sign of financial strain. The coming months will be crucial in shaping the narrative and determining the long-term impact on both Borse Dubai and the wider financial landscape.</p>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https:</em>//thearabianpost.com/borse-dubais-nasdaq-stake-sale-hot-debate-on-reasons/">Arabian Post</a>.</p>
</section>
|
Borse Dubai’s Nasdaq Stake Sale: Hot Debate on Reasons
Arabian Post Special
The decision by Borse Dubai, the largest shareholder in Nasdaq, to sell a third of its stake for $1.6 billion has sent ripples through the financial world. The move raises questions about Borse Dubai’s long-term strategy and its potential impact on the Dubai government’s reputation as a reliable investor.
While Borse Dubai claims the sale is to “enhance capital structure and liquidity,” several factors could be at play. The most obvious explanation is a need for cash. Dubai’s economy, heavily reliant on tourism and real estate, has faced headwinds in recent years. The global pandemic and a slowdown in China, a major trading partner, could necessitate asset sales to bolster Dubai’s financial position.
Another possibility is a shift in Borse Dubai’s investment focus. The technology sector, while still strong, has witnessed some volatility. Borse Dubai might be seeking to diversify its portfolio and invest in sectors with more predictable returns. This could be a signal that the Dubai government is reassessing its risk tolerance in the current economic climate.
The sale could also be seen as a strategic adjustment within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), an ambitious project aiming to establish Dubai as a global financial hub. By reducing its stake in Nasdaq, Borse Dubai might be freeing up resources to focus on developing the DIFC and attracting new listings from regional companies. This could be a long-term play to create a more robust and diversified financial ecosystem within Dubai itself.
However, the sale carries reputational risks. Borse Dubai’s sizable holding in Nasdaq was seen as a vote of confidence in the American exchange and a symbol of Dubai’s growing influence in the global financial landscape. The sale could be interpreted as a retreat from that ambition, potentially dampening investor confidence in Dubai’s commitment to international partnerships.
Furthermore, the timing of the sale, coinciding with a slight dip in Nasdaq’s share price, might raise questions about Borse Dubai’s ability to time the market effectively. Selling at a discount could be seen as a missed opportunity or even a sign of financial distress.
The impact on Nasdaq itself is also a consideration. While Borse Dubai will remain a significant shareholder, the loss of its top position could affect its influence within the exchange’s decision-making processes. This could have implications for future collaborations between the two entities.
The long-term consequences of Borse Dubai’s decision will depend on several factors. Transparency regarding the use of the proceeds from the sale would be crucial in calming market jitters. Additionally, Borse Dubai’s future investment strategies and its commitment to the DIFC project will be closely watched.
If Borse Dubai leverages the funds from the sale to bolster the DIFC and foster a vibrant financial ecosystem within Dubai, the narrative could shift. It could be seen as a strategic pivot towards regional dominance rather than a retreat from global ambitions. However, a lack of clear direction or if the funds are used for undisclosed purposes could further erode investor confidence.
Ultimately, the decision is a complex one with potential benefits and drawbacks. It remains to be seen whether it will be viewed as a strategic adjustment or a sign of financial strain. The coming months will be crucial in shaping the narrative and determining the long-term impact on both Borse Dubai and the wider financial landscape.
Originally published at Arabian Post.
|
7967e66d-47d8-5ca4-90fd-f2c27206a8b7
|
25/08/2025 16:02:59
|
|
https://medium.com/coinmonks/nft-music-marketplace-simple-way-to-raise-funds-make-song-nfts-earn-royalties-fe98dc9152f0
|
medium.com
|
NFT Music Marketplace-simple way to raise funds, make song NFTs, earn royalties
|
Music NFT marketplaces make it so loud that it enhances the way music has transformed people’s lives in this modernized world. Before…
|
Allan Jackob
|
https://medium.com/@allanjackob
|
fe98dc9152f0
|
2 min
|
2022-08-20T12:21:10.122000
|
2022-08-24T06:03:37.829000
|
2022-08-24T07:13:26.742000
| 0 | 11 |
en
|
Nft Music Marketplace,Music,Music Business,Nft Marketplace,Musicians
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*qMF-xGFKJ0BJY5Rev6b3qg.gif" width="700" height="394" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Music </strong>NFT marketplaces make it so loud that it enhances the way music has transformed people’s lives in this modernized world. Before, people brought songs from studios, downloaded them, and traded them for money. Recently, the music industry has evolved a lot, and they have hopped into the burgeoning NFT space. Now, there is a specialized<a href="https://bit.ly/3AK0lQb"> <strong>marketplace for N</a>FT music</strong>, where artists can share their works directly with their fans and give them a place to belong.</p>
<h3><strong>NFT music- vibing with the trend</strong></h3>
<p>A renowned <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/nft-music-platform-fantiger-raises-5-5-m/articleshow/91795626.cms?from=mdr">NFT music marketplace named Fan tiger </a>has brought in exciting ways to trade music in the NFT way.</p>
<p>In a seed round led by Multicoin Capital, ArtistFirst Technology, which operates the music NFT (Non-Fungible Token) marketplace FanTiger, raised <strong>$5.5 million</strong> on Wednesday. Here, the platform has the caliber to bring in more fans to the place and make them launch their own song, and also receive an equal amount of incentives from them. The platform also gives opportunities to the fans and gives them a way to earn.</p>
<h3><strong>What do the music NFT platforms do?</strong></h3>
<p>Independent artists are given the tools by FanTiger to create fan communities on the platform and give music NFTs to fans so they can influence their careers. Fans can purchase music NFTs to gain access to a private artist community, earn rewards, and enjoy privileges like exclusive backstage access and behind-the-scenes content.</p>
<p><strong>Artists can use the proceeds from the sale of music NFTs for the creation of songs, studio production, music videos, etc.</strong></p>
<p>They can also pledge to give fans up to a certain percentage of the royalties they receive from the song.</p>
<h3><strong>Can the fans market and earn anything out of it?</strong></h3>
<p>With a platform as such, the fans would be able to get a changeover in earning by spreading the news about them.</p>
<p>Yes, here, even the fans will promote songs since they have a small ownership stake in them. The old idea of fans just listening to the song and possibly discussing it with one or two friends is completely different from this. However, NFTs give fans a reason to promote and spread the song’s popularity. Therefore, in such cases, NFTs are establishing a level playing field that is free from obstacles and transparent in terms of how money is raised and distributed to fans. On the blockchain, all of this is recorded. “These NFTs could be sold from one person to another and generate more income once they open the marketplace in the following two to three months,” says <strong>Prashan Agarwal, CEO, and co-founder of FanTiger and the former CEO of Gaana.com.</strong></p>
<h3><strong>Summing up!</strong></h3>
<p>Since the NFTs have given the people a chance to survive in this era of innovation, a marketplace of music could make them earn more and more. The music industry has become a lucrative opportunity as they have made an entry into the NFT sector, thus,<strong><a href="https://bit.ly/3AK0lQ</strong>b"> creating a music NFT platform </a>just like the fan tiger, earning more profits in the way they work. Now, music has been a tool even for the smallest artists as they have lured the audience while also receiving money from the making. Building an NFT music marketplace from a top-rated company could make you an entrepreneur in the upcoming years.</p>
<blockquote>New to trading? Try <a href="https://medium.com/coinmonks/crypto-trading-bot-c2ffce8acb2a">crypto trading bots</a> or <a href="https://medium.com/coinmonks/top-10-crypto-copy-trading-platforms-for-beginners-d0c37c7d698c">copy trading</a></blockquote>
</section>
|
NFT Music Marketplace-simple way to raise funds, make song NFTs, earn royalties
Music NFT marketplaces make it so loud that it enhances the way music has transformed people’s lives in this modernized world. Before, people brought songs from studios, downloaded them, and traded them for money. Recently, the music industry has evolved a lot, and they have hopped into the burgeoning NFT space. Now, there is a specialized marketplace for NFT music, where artists can share their works directly with their fans and give them a place to belong.
NFT music- vibing with the trend
A renowned NFT music marketplace named Fan tiger has brought in exciting ways to trade music in the NFT way.
In a seed round led by Multicoin Capital, ArtistFirst Technology, which operates the music NFT (Non-Fungible Token) marketplace FanTiger, raised $5.5 million on Wednesday. Here, the platform has the caliber to bring in more fans to the place and make them launch their own song, and also receive an equal amount of incentives from them. The platform also gives opportunities to the fans and gives them a way to earn.
What do the music NFT platforms do?
Independent artists are given the tools by FanTiger to create fan communities on the platform and give music NFTs to fans so they can influence their careers. Fans can purchase music NFTs to gain access to a private artist community, earn rewards, and enjoy privileges like exclusive backstage access and behind-the-scenes content.
Artists can use the proceeds from the sale of music NFTs for the creation of songs, studio production, music videos, etc.
They can also pledge to give fans up to a certain percentage of the royalties they receive from the song.
Can the fans market and earn anything out of it?
With a platform as such, the fans would be able to get a changeover in earning by spreading the news about them.
Yes, here, even the fans will promote songs since they have a small ownership stake in them. The old idea of fans just listening to the song and possibly discussing it with one or two friends is completely different from this. However, NFTs give fans a reason to promote and spread the song’s popularity. Therefore, in such cases, NFTs are establishing a level playing field that is free from obstacles and transparent in terms of how money is raised and distributed to fans. On the blockchain, all of this is recorded. “These NFTs could be sold from one person to another and generate more income once they open the marketplace in the following two to three months,” says Prashan Agarwal, CEO, and co-founder of FanTiger and the former CEO of Gaana.com.
Summing up!
Since the NFTs have given the people a chance to survive in this era of innovation, a marketplace of music could make them earn more and more. The music industry has become a lucrative opportunity as they have made an entry into the NFT sector, thus, creating a music NFT platform just like the fan tiger, earning more profits in the way they work. Now, music has been a tool even for the smallest artists as they have lured the audience while also receiving money from the making. Building an NFT music marketplace from a top-rated company could make you an entrepreneur in the upcoming years.
New to trading? Try crypto trading bots or copy trading
|
54a0f006-ad27-5d9f-b13e-f597cf4aeed0
|
25/08/2025 16:03:00
|
|
https://pub.towardsai.net/43-memorag-rag-agent-rag-fusion-and-more-7b8463590747
|
medium.com
|
#43 MemoRAG, RAG Agent, RAG Fusion, and more!
|
Is there only one best RAG approach?
|
Towards AI Editorial Team
|
https://medium.com/@towardsai
|
7b8463590747
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*HKd4oZb9HOval1lP
|
4 min
|
2024-10-03T15:27:02.687000
|
2024-10-03T15:39:34.483000
|
2024-11-15T18:18:01.021000
| 0 | 42 |
en
|
Artificial Intelligence,Community,Towards Ai,Llm,AI
|
<section>
<h3>Is there only one best RAG approach?</h3>
<p>Good morning, AI enthusiasts! This week, we are diving into different RAG approaches, programming tips, community discussions, and some fun collaboration opportunities. Dive in and enjoy the read!</p>
<h3>What’s AI Weekly</h3>
<p>This week, in my other newsletter, the <a href="https://highlearningrate.substack.com/">High Learning Rate</a> newsletter, we are sharing the 15 best tips for programming with LLMs. We dive into context, error handling, and more. <a href="https://highlearningrate.substack.com/p/our-15-tips-for-programmng-with-llms">Read the article here</a>!</p>
<p><em>— Louis-François Bouchard, Towards AI Co-founder & Head of Community</em></p>
<p>In collaboration with <a href="https://tinyurl.com/laibd3oct">Bright Data</a>:</p>
<p><strong>Learn How You Can Leverage Web Data To Power Your AI Use Cases</strong></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1050/0*mvptjQEklCwpSvzR" width="1050" height="550" loading="lazy" />
<p>Artificial intelligence models, particularly large language models (LLMs), thrive on vast, diverse, and real-time datasets to improve their predictions, learning, and decision-making capabilities. However, traditional datasets are often too static or limited in scope to support the constantly evolving demands of AI systems. This is where web data plays a critical role.</p>
<p>Leading companies are leveraging web data to power their AI innovations and, most importantly, their existing workflows. Access data more efficiently, ethically, and elastically.</p>
<p><a href="https://tinyurl.com/laibd3oct">Learn how to leverage Bright Data for your AI workflows and use cases</a>!</p>
<h1>Learn AI Together Community section!</h1>
<h3>Featured Community post from the Discord</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/831148296147959878/1290301619300204590">Fabiochiu</a> has been sharing weekly AI news updates in our ai-news channel on Discord. NLPlanet shares a quick summary of the top AI news and research of the week. It’s our go-to space for quick weekly updates. <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/831148296147959878/1290301619300204590">Check it out in the ai-news Discord channel</a>!</p>
<h3>AI poll of the week!</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/683/0*mOoYOQ02GyFqjDHr" width="683" height="413" loading="lazy" />
<p>It seems like the increments from research papers are far less than they used to be. This could be due to several reasons. <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1290443387278987264/1290446091069821092">Drakonchik__</a> rightly pointed out that there is an alarming increase in papers generated with GPT. Would you agree? <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/833660976196354079/1290443387278987264">Tell us in the thread</a>!</p>
<h3>Collaboration Opportunities</h3>
<p>The Learn AI Together Discord community is flooding with collaboration opportunities. If you are excited to dive into applied AI, want a study partner, or even want to find a partner for your passion project, <a href="https://discord.gg/wSjEG6TV">join the collaboration channel</a>! Keep an eye on this section, too — we share cool opportunities every week!</p>
<p>1. <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1290612432083091516/1290612432083091516">Swangaaw4</a> is looking for a learning partner to study AI technologies. If you are also looking for a partner to study with, <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1290612432083091516/1290612432083091516">connect with them in the thread</a>!</p>
<p>2. <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1289644050525327442/1289644050525327442">Shreesha1573</a> is looking for someone to research using the capabilities of O1 models and prompt engineering. If you are a plus user and would love to experiment with O1, <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1289644050525327442/1289644050525327442">reach out in the thread</a>!</p>
<p>3. <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1288057448208531537/1288057448208531537">Abdurrahman01234</a> needs a partner to brainstorm ideas for their portfolio. If you have some interesting ideas to discuss, <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/1288057448208531537/1288057448208531537">contact in the thread</a>!</p>
<h3>Meme of the week!</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1600/0*HKd4oZb9HOval1lP" width="1600" height="938" loading="lazy" />
<p>Meme shared by <a href="https://discord.com/channels/702624558536065165/830572933197201459/1289362273923498037">ghost_in_the_machine</a></p>
<h2>TAI Curated section</h2>
<h3>Article of the week</h3>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/towards-artificial-intelligence/teaching-rag-to-remember-how-memorag-enhances-question-answering-through-memory-76ba4e6b946f?sk=f322ef1dc67dd4d95359aa09bd5053cf">Teaching RAG to “Remember”: How MemoRAG Enhances Question-Answering Through Memory</a> by <a href="https://medium.com/@florian_algo">Florian June</a></p>
<p>This article explores MemoRAG, a model that enhances question-answering systems through memory mechanisms. It dives into MemoRAG’s architecture and functionality, illustrating how it effectively retains and utilizes information to improve response accuracy. With clear explanations and practical examples, this guide helps advance the understanding of memory-augmented models and applications in AI-driven question answering.</p>
<h3>Our must-read articles</h3>
<p>1. <a href="https://pub.towardsai.net/how-to-build-a-custom-optimizer-in-pytorch-5-simple-steps-97b522d455a4">How to Build a Custom Optimizer in PyTorch: 5 Simple Steps</a> by <a href="https://medium.com/@benjybo7">Benjamin Bodner</a></p>
<p>This comprehensive guide walks you through building a custom optimizer in PyTorch in just five simple steps. It covers the fundamental concepts of optimization and provides clear, step-by-step instructions to help you create an optimizer tailored to your specific needs. With practical examples and code snippets, this article is perfect for both beginners and experienced developers looking to deepen their understanding of PyTorch and enhance their machine-learning models.</p>
<p>2. <a href="https://pub.towardsai.net/build-a-reliable-rag-agent-that-can-scrape-any-website-e366eb5bc197">Build a Reliable RAG Agent That Can Scrape Any Website!!</a> by <a href="https://medium.com/@GaoDalie_AI">Gao Dalie</a></p>
<p>This article provides a step-by-step guide on building a reliable Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) agent capable of scraping data from any website. It covers essential techniques and tools needed for effective web scraping, including handling various website structures and ensuring data accuracy. With practical examples and expert tips, this resource enhances web scraping skills and creates robust RAG agents for diverse applications.</p>
<p>3. <a href="https://pub.towardsai.net/hyperparameter-optimization-in-pytorch-using-optuna-with-pruning-fe6100a9d51a">How to Perform Hyperparameter Optimization in PyTorch Using Optuna</a> by <a href="https://medium.com/@benjybo7">Benjamin Bodner</a></p>
<p>This article explores hyperparameter optimization in PyTorch using Optuna, with a focus on the pruning technique to enhance efficiency. It explains the importance of hyperparameter tuning in improving model performance and provides a step-by-step guide on implementing Optuna for effective optimization.</p>
<p>4. <a href="https://pub.towardsai.net/not-rag-but-rag-fusion-understanding-next-gen-info-retrieval-477788da02e2">Not RAG, but RAG Fusion? Understanding Next-Gen Info Retrieval</a> by <a href="https://suryamaddula.medium.com/">Surya Maddula</a></p>
<p>This article dives into the concept of RAG Fusion, a next-generation approach to information retrieval that combines the strengths of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with advanced retrieval techniques. It explains the underlying principles of RAG Fusion and its potential to enhance the accuracy and relevance of retrieved information.</p>
<p>If you are interested in publishing with Towards AI, <a href="https://contribute.towardsai.net/">check our guidelines and sign up</a>. We will publish your work to our network if it meets our editorial policies and standards.</p>
</section>
|
#43 MemoRAG, RAG Agent, RAG Fusion, and more!
Is there only one best RAG approach?
Good morning, AI enthusiasts! This week, we are diving into different RAG approaches, programming tips, community discussions, and some fun collaboration opportunities. Dive in and enjoy the read!
What’s AI Weekly
This week, in my other newsletter, the High Learning Rate newsletter, we are sharing the 15 best tips for programming with LLMs. We dive into context, error handling, and more. Read the article here!
— Louis-François Bouchard, Towards AI Co-founder & Head of Community
In collaboration with Bright Data:
Learn How You Can Leverage Web Data To Power Your AI Use Cases
Artificial intelligence models, particularly large language models (LLMs), thrive on vast, diverse, and real-time datasets to improve their predictions, learning, and decision-making capabilities. However, traditional datasets are often too static or limited in scope to support the constantly evolving demands of AI systems. This is where web data plays a critical role.
Leading companies are leveraging web data to power their AI innovations and, most importantly, their existing workflows. Access data more efficiently, ethically, and elastically.
Learn how to leverage Bright Data for your AI workflows and use cases!
Learn AI Together Community section!
Featured Community post from the Discord
Fabiochiu has been sharing weekly AI news updates in our ai-news channel on Discord. NLPlanet shares a quick summary of the top AI news and research of the week. It’s our go-to space for quick weekly updates. Check it out in the ai-news Discord channel!
AI poll of the week!
It seems like the increments from research papers are far less than they used to be. This could be due to several reasons. Drakonchik__ rightly pointed out that there is an alarming increase in papers generated with GPT. Would you agree? Tell us in the thread!
Collaboration Opportunities
The Learn AI Together Discord community is flooding with collaboration opportunities. If you are excited to dive into applied AI, want a study partner, or even want to find a partner for your passion project, join the collaboration channel! Keep an eye on this section, too — we share cool opportunities every week!
1. Swangaaw4 is looking for a learning partner to study AI technologies. If you are also looking for a partner to study with, connect with them in the thread!
2. Shreesha1573 is looking for someone to research using the capabilities of O1 models and prompt engineering. If you are a plus user and would love to experiment with O1, reach out in the thread!
3. Abdurrahman01234 needs a partner to brainstorm ideas for their portfolio. If you have some interesting ideas to discuss, contact in the thread!
Meme of the week!
Meme shared by ghost_in_the_machine
TAI Curated section
Article of the week
Teaching RAG to “Remember”: How MemoRAG Enhances Question-Answering Through Memory by Florian June
This article explores MemoRAG, a model that enhances question-answering systems through memory mechanisms. It dives into MemoRAG’s architecture and functionality, illustrating how it effectively retains and utilizes information to improve response accuracy. With clear explanations and practical examples, this guide helps advance the understanding of memory-augmented models and applications in AI-driven question answering.
Our must-read articles
1. How to Build a Custom Optimizer in PyTorch: 5 Simple Steps by Benjamin Bodner
This comprehensive guide walks you through building a custom optimizer in PyTorch in just five simple steps. It covers the fundamental concepts of optimization and provides clear, step-by-step instructions to help you create an optimizer tailored to your specific needs. With practical examples and code snippets, this article is perfect for both beginners and experienced developers looking to deepen their understanding of PyTorch and enhance their machine-learning models.
2. Build a Reliable RAG Agent That Can Scrape Any Website!! by Gao Dalie
This article provides a step-by-step guide on building a reliable Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) agent capable of scraping data from any website. It covers essential techniques and tools needed for effective web scraping, including handling various website structures and ensuring data accuracy. With practical examples and expert tips, this resource enhances web scraping skills and creates robust RAG agents for diverse applications.
3. How to Perform Hyperparameter Optimization in PyTorch Using Optuna by Benjamin Bodner
This article explores hyperparameter optimization in PyTorch using Optuna, with a focus on the pruning technique to enhance efficiency. It explains the importance of hyperparameter tuning in improving model performance and provides a step-by-step guide on implementing Optuna for effective optimization.
4. Not RAG, but RAG Fusion? Understanding Next-Gen Info Retrieval by Surya Maddula
This article dives into the concept of RAG Fusion, a next-generation approach to information retrieval that combines the strengths of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with advanced retrieval techniques. It explains the underlying principles of RAG Fusion and its potential to enhance the accuracy and relevance of retrieved information.
If you are interested in publishing with Towards AI, check our guidelines and sign up. We will publish your work to our network if it meets our editorial policies and standards.
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de661c02-cf73-547c-ba77-d89a4758cbc8
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25/08/2025 16:03:00
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https://snxweave.medium.com/snxweave-weekly-recap-477f4e29e5b8
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medium.com
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SNXweave Weekly Recap
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July 12, 2022
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SNXweave
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https://medium.com/@snxweave
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477f4e29e5b8
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6 min
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2022-07-12T22:19:15.440000
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2022-07-12T22:36:38.401000
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2022-07-12T22:36:44.541000
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en
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News,Weekly Report,Defi,Weekly Update,Cryptocurrency
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<section>
<p>July 12, 2022</p>
<p><em>The following post contains a recap of news, projects, and important updates from the Spartan Council and Core Contributors, as well as the Grants Council and Ambassador Council from last week.</em></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/788/1*xMqsTVHQhUCHYEcXv7QQsQ.png" width="788" height="443" loading="lazy" />
<h3><strong>Spartan Council and SIP updates</strong></h3>
<p><em>Present at the July 5, 2022 Spartan Council Weekly Project Sync:
<strong>Spartan Council:</strong> Afif, Ale, Burt Rock, Danijel, ksett, TerraBellus
<strong>Core Contributors:</strong> Arthur, KA</em>LEB, Mark, Matt, Mike, noah, Steve</p>
<p>The new Councils are in full swing, with the first week of the epoch now under their belts! Last week the Spartan Council discussed several SIPs, and were <em>presented</em> several SIPs, so let’s review them.</p>
<p><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-229/">SIP-229</a> for the synth Optimism bridge was discussed, as it was implemented a while ago but has been paused pending internal reviews. Kaleb was concerned that this SIP is not considered a standard bridge because there is protocol debt associated with each sUSD. Currently, there are no limits on transfer volume, which could be resolved by <a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-230">SIP-230</a> (Universal Circuit Breaker) or another SIP. Db thinks this should be separate since SIP-230 is already approved and ready to deploy.</p>
<p>Kaleb also brought up a new SIP he wrote — <a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-258/">SIP-258</a> to improve the pricing of atomic swaps by incorporating directionality of the trade into the Uniswap pricing methodology. This SIP aims to reduce fees while also facilitating more competitive fills. Kaleb said this will hopefully allow for more precise trading that is more fair to traders and stakers and should lead to more volume.</p>
<p>The Council also discussed issues such as the sUSD peg, c-ratio- and staking ratio. Right now, sUSD is trading at a bit of a premium. This isn’t as much of an issue on L1 because when sUSD is trading high, so is sETH — so the pair ratio is still the same. There may be a routing issue with 1inch, possibly that it’s routing through Uniswap instead of Curve. The Council proposed some solutions to this including lowering the c-ratio, changing L1 loan parameters, or increasing LUSD wrappr fees.</p>
<p>TerraBellus is opposed to using wrappers to fix the peg, and thinks the willingness to use them could be an issue in the future. Everyone else, on the other hand, agreed that wrappers are the most effective way to fix the peg, and changing the loan parameters wouldn’t guarantee the desired result.</p>
<p>Lastly, Kain proposed reducing the c-ratio to 300%, which the entire Council was against. He also proposed reduing the target staking ratio in <a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-202">SIP-202</a> to 55% as a way to start reducing inflation. The target ratio was a configurable parameter in the original SIP and since the current ratio is 65%, it would trigger a gradual decrease in inflation.</p>
<p>After the call, several SIPs were presented:</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://sips.synthet</em>ix.io/si</strong>ps/sip-255/">SIP-255</a>: Redistribute sUSD Fees to L2</p>
<ul>
<li>Presented by db, this SIP proposes changing the sUSD fee distribution to send additional sUSD to L2 (where the amount is proportional to the amount of SNX on L2)</li>
<li>Primary concern is that the logic of the SIP assumes no fees are generated on L2, which is not true, and this creates a fee distribution imbalance</li>
<li>Solution is to make the distribution from L1 to L2 an SCCP-configurable value</li>
<li>Afif reiterated his position that any ‘fix’ other than a fully equitable distribution of fees is not a step forward</li>
<li>Danijel initially said he would vote yes for this SIP, but was surprised by the fee generation data on both networks (i.e. L1 was not always higher than L2 <em>even after</em> atomic swaps)</li>
<li>Ale brought up that this adds to the V2X scope and any additional resources spent on v2 could create v3 delays</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://sips.synt</em>hetix.io</strong>/sips/sip-252/">SIP-252</a>: Liquidation of SNX Escrow</p>
<ul>
<li>Kaleb presented this SIP, explaining that it will update the SNX liquidation functionality (laid out in <a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-148">SIP-148</a>) to allow SNX escrow entries to be liquidated <em>in addition to</em> SNX tokens held in accounts</li>
<li>Escrowed SNX would not be eligible for <strong>self</strong>-liquidation. It would however be eligible for forced liquidation if the account was flagged for liquidation and there was not enough of transferrable SNX to cover the cost</li>
<li>Vesting entries that will be liquidated first will be the ones closest to being unlocked</li>
<li>Danijel: “How much is the gas cost per escrow entry?”</li>
<li>Arthur: “It’s almost 1m more gas to liquidate accounts with escrow entries.”</li>
<li>Once this SIP is deployed, approx. $3m in SNX would be eligible for liquidation immediately</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://sips.synt</em>hetix.io</strong>/sips/sip-257/">SIP-257</a>: Debt-ratio futures market</p>
<ul>
<li>Lastly, this SIP will create a futures market for Synthetix debt share price (debt ratio) for capital efficient debt-hedging</li>
<li>Arthur explained that this will allow smaller stakers to hedge debt using this market and pay the funding rate premium to larger stakers who are able to hedge externally</li>
<li>It’s more capital efficient because it uses leverage</li>
<li>The proposed parameters are pretty defensive for rollout so if there is any behavior that looks concerning, it can be wound down and retired</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Grants Council</strong></h3>
<p><em>Present at the July 7, 2022 Grants Council meeting:
<strong>Grants Team:</strong> CT, cyb</em>erduck, JVK, Mike</p>
<p>In Grants Council updates, the team had a productive planning meeting last week, giving JVK a thorough introduction to the ins and outs of Synthetix Grants. JVK will be jumping right in to help with a few ongoing initiatives, including the Hero Stats page and NFT project.</p>
<p>The team also discussed a new issue that was brought to their attention — the tip bot only allows one wallet to tip at a time, which is an issue when the Grants Council member who is managing that wallet is unavailable. They are exploring other ways to tip, including a personal tip/reimbursement process. The tips are currently in SNX, but they are considering an sUSD tip as well.</p>
<p>On another note, the Wrappr UI is very close to completion. As a reminder, this project will give users an uncomplicated and aesthetically pleasing way to interact with wrapper contracts, rather than having to interact with them directly to use them. This UI will allow more users to take advantage of this feature.</p>
<h3><strong>Ambassador Council</strong></h3>
<p><em>Present at the July 6, 2022 Ambassador Council meeting:
<strong>Ambassadors:</strong> masterm</em>ojo, Matt, MiLLiE</p>
<p>In Ambassador updates, the team laid out some goals that they have for the upcoming epoch including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Advocating for a new seat to better fill the large demand for inbound/outbound partnerships</li>
<li>Develop a more formalized process for bringing new/existing projects through the flow of building on or with Synthetix</li>
<li>Advocate for a “One-time integrations budget,” i.e. allow Ambassadors to fund one-off bounties for new/existing projects to integrate with or build on Synthetix</li>
<li>Expand the reach of the Synthetix Ambassadors onto YouTube</li>
<li>Create a new and improved Ambassador website on Notion (one-page website showing a breakdown of what ambassadors do, how to contribute to our Council, etc.)</li>
</ul>
<p>The Ambassadors also hosted a <a href="https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1PlJQaaRodBJE">Spartan Space last week</a> with <a href="#/1/swap/ETH/DAI">1inch</a>, where we got to hear from Kaleb and Kirill. Kaleb, of course, works for Synthetix on the product-side, focusing on optimization and market fit. And Kirill is the lead backend engineer for 1inch, and started crypto through hackathons — 15 of which he has won with his team. He joined 1inch in 2020, and is currently developing a DEX aggregator.</p>
<p>Kaleb explained how atomic swaps was proposed and implemented as a solution to the latency caused by swaps previously on Ethereum (which were done using Chainlink as the oracle price feed). The preference is obviously for transactions to execute in a single transaction rather than 2 transactions separated by 6 minutes. UniswapV3 provided an additional accurate oracle because bots are incentivized to arbitrage price discrepancies. This allowed them to combat the latency issues, and the combination of the 2 oracles (Chainlink price + Uni TWAP price) made atomic swaps possible. And what was the end result? Transactions in large amounts, at oracle prices, with <strong>zero slippage</strong>.</p>
<p>Kirill describes the integration saying it was fairly seamless for 1inch and not very computationally intensive. Users also gained a lot from this integration, and $2 billion in volume was routed through Synthetix in June. Kaleb agreed saying, “it’s really amazing how such a small change could produce such an incredible result.” Wise words, Kaleb, wise words.</p>
<p>When asked if there is any stale flow in the volume, the guests said that is being monitored and the fills are very close with centralized exchange prices because of the incentive to arbitrage. So if a lot of the volume was stale flow, there would be a lot of ‘recycling’ from synth to synth, but they said they’re not seeing that because it’s not profitable (since the prices are competitive).</p>
<p>Currently, all of the transactions are under $10 million. The biggest barrier to further increasing transaction volume for 1inch is synth liquidity on Optimism. A lot of bots are using this functionality to arb curve pools, usually $50k-$100k, and some are arbing CEXs, $500k-$2million). Kwenta users are also using this functionality, and Kwenta was actually the first to integrate atomic swaps.</p>
<p>The Ambassadors and 1inch guests also discussed other topics such as current incentives for integrators and who benefits from all these atomic swaps. So be sure to check out the recording if you missed it!</p>
<h3>Podcast now also on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8dkE5QtfyIYSt0VrHXU4g">YOUTUBE</a></h3>
<h3>SNXweave Anchor Podcast: <a href="https://anchor.fm/snxweave">https://anchor.fm/snxweave</a></h3>
<h3>Follow us on Twitter! @snx_weave</h3>
<h3><strong>SIP/SCCP status tracker:</strong></h3>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/si</strong>ps/sip-229/">SIP-229</a>: Optimism Bridge for Synths, <em>Status: implemented</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/s</strong>ips/sip-230">SIP-230</a>: Universal Circuit Breaker, <em>Status: approved</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-258/">SIP-258<</strong>/a>: Trade Directionality In Pricing of Atomic Swaps, <em>Status: draft</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix</strong>.io/sips/sip-202">SIP-202</a>: Target Staking Ratio, <em>Status: implemented</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/sips</strong>/sip-255/">SIP-255</a>: Redistribute sUSD Fees to L2, <em>Status: draft</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/s</strong>ips/sip-252/">SIP-252</a>: Liquidation of SNX Escrow, <em>Status: draft</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://sips.synthetix.io/s</strong>ips/sip-257/">SIP-257</a>: Debt-ratio futures market, <em>Status: draft</em></p>
</section>
|
SNXweave Weekly Recap
July 12, 2022
The following post contains a recap of news, projects, and important updates from the Spartan Council and Core Contributors, as well as the Grants Council and Ambassador Council from last week.
Spartan Council and SIP updates
Present at the July 5, 2022 Spartan Council Weekly Project Sync:
Spartan Council: Afif, Ale, Burt Rock, Danijel, ksett, TerraBellus
Core Contributors: Arthur, KALEB, Mark, Matt, Mike, noah, Steve
The new Councils are in full swing, with the first week of the epoch now under their belts! Last week the Spartan Council discussed several SIPs, and were presented several SIPs, so let’s review them.
SIP-229 for the synth Optimism bridge was discussed, as it was implemented a while ago but has been paused pending internal reviews. Kaleb was concerned that this SIP is not considered a standard bridge because there is protocol debt associated with each sUSD. Currently, there are no limits on transfer volume, which could be resolved by SIP-230 (Universal Circuit Breaker) or another SIP. Db thinks this should be separate since SIP-230 is already approved and ready to deploy.
Kaleb also brought up a new SIP he wrote — SIP-258 to improve the pricing of atomic swaps by incorporating directionality of the trade into the Uniswap pricing methodology. This SIP aims to reduce fees while also facilitating more competitive fills. Kaleb said this will hopefully allow for more precise trading that is more fair to traders and stakers and should lead to more volume.
The Council also discussed issues such as the sUSD peg, c-ratio- and staking ratio. Right now, sUSD is trading at a bit of a premium. This isn’t as much of an issue on L1 because when sUSD is trading high, so is sETH — so the pair ratio is still the same. There may be a routing issue with 1inch, possibly that it’s routing through Uniswap instead of Curve. The Council proposed some solutions to this including lowering the c-ratio, changing L1 loan parameters, or increasing LUSD wrappr fees.
TerraBellus is opposed to using wrappers to fix the peg, and thinks the willingness to use them could be an issue in the future. Everyone else, on the other hand, agreed that wrappers are the most effective way to fix the peg, and changing the loan parameters wouldn’t guarantee the desired result.
Lastly, Kain proposed reducing the c-ratio to 300%, which the entire Council was against. He also proposed reduing the target staking ratio in SIP-202 to 55% as a way to start reducing inflation. The target ratio was a configurable parameter in the original SIP and since the current ratio is 65%, it would trigger a gradual decrease in inflation.
After the call, several SIPs were presented:
SIP-255: Redistribute sUSD Fees to L2
Presented by db, this SIP proposes changing the sUSD fee distribution to send additional sUSD to L2 (where the amount is proportional to the amount of SNX on L2)
Primary concern is that the logic of the SIP assumes no fees are generated on L2, which is not true, and this creates a fee distribution imbalance
Solution is to make the distribution from L1 to L2 an SCCP-configurable value
Afif reiterated his position that any ‘fix’ other than a fully equitable distribution of fees is not a step forward
Danijel initially said he would vote yes for this SIP, but was surprised by the fee generation data on both networks (i.e. L1 was not always higher than L2 even after atomic swaps)
Ale brought up that this adds to the V2X scope and any additional resources spent on v2 could create v3 delays
SIP-252: Liquidation of SNX Escrow
Kaleb presented this SIP, explaining that it will update the SNX liquidation functionality (laid out in SIP-148) to allow SNX escrow entries to be liquidated in addition to SNX tokens held in accounts
Escrowed SNX would not be eligible for self-liquidation. It would however be eligible for forced liquidation if the account was flagged for liquidation and there was not enough of transferrable SNX to cover the cost
Vesting entries that will be liquidated first will be the ones closest to being unlocked
Danijel: “How much is the gas cost per escrow entry?”
Arthur: “It’s almost 1m more gas to liquidate accounts with escrow entries.”
Once this SIP is deployed, approx. $3m in SNX would be eligible for liquidation immediately
SIP-257: Debt-ratio futures market
Lastly, this SIP will create a futures market for Synthetix debt share price (debt ratio) for capital efficient debt-hedging
Arthur explained that this will allow smaller stakers to hedge debt using this market and pay the funding rate premium to larger stakers who are able to hedge externally
It’s more capital efficient because it uses leverage
The proposed parameters are pretty defensive for rollout so if there is any behavior that looks concerning, it can be wound down and retired
Grants Council
Present at the July 7, 2022 Grants Council meeting:
Grants Team: CT, cyberduck, JVK, Mike
In Grants Council updates, the team had a productive planning meeting last week, giving JVK a thorough introduction to the ins and outs of Synthetix Grants. JVK will be jumping right in to help with a few ongoing initiatives, including the Hero Stats page and NFT project.
The team also discussed a new issue that was brought to their attention — the tip bot only allows one wallet to tip at a time, which is an issue when the Grants Council member who is managing that wallet is unavailable. They are exploring other ways to tip, including a personal tip/reimbursement process. The tips are currently in SNX, but they are considering an sUSD tip as well.
On another note, the Wrappr UI is very close to completion. As a reminder, this project will give users an uncomplicated and aesthetically pleasing way to interact with wrapper contracts, rather than having to interact with them directly to use them. This UI will allow more users to take advantage of this feature.
Ambassador Council
Present at the July 6, 2022 Ambassador Council meeting:
Ambassadors: mastermojo, Matt, MiLLiE
In Ambassador updates, the team laid out some goals that they have for the upcoming epoch including:
Advocating for a new seat to better fill the large demand for inbound/outbound partnerships
Develop a more formalized process for bringing new/existing projects through the flow of building on or with Synthetix
Advocate for a “One-time integrations budget,” i.e. allow Ambassadors to fund one-off bounties for new/existing projects to integrate with or build on Synthetix
Expand the reach of the Synthetix Ambassadors onto YouTube
Create a new and improved Ambassador website on Notion (one-page website showing a breakdown of what ambassadors do, how to contribute to our Council, etc.)
The Ambassadors also hosted a Spartan Space last week with 1inch, where we got to hear from Kaleb and Kirill. Kaleb, of course, works for Synthetix on the product-side, focusing on optimization and market fit. And Kirill is the lead backend engineer for 1inch, and started crypto through hackathons — 15 of which he has won with his team. He joined 1inch in 2020, and is currently developing a DEX aggregator.
Kaleb explained how atomic swaps was proposed and implemented as a solution to the latency caused by swaps previously on Ethereum (which were done using Chainlink as the oracle price feed). The preference is obviously for transactions to execute in a single transaction rather than 2 transactions separated by 6 minutes. UniswapV3 provided an additional accurate oracle because bots are incentivized to arbitrage price discrepancies. This allowed them to combat the latency issues, and the combination of the 2 oracles (Chainlink price + Uni TWAP price) made atomic swaps possible. And what was the end result? Transactions in large amounts, at oracle prices, with zero slippage.
Kirill describes the integration saying it was fairly seamless for 1inch and not very computationally intensive. Users also gained a lot from this integration, and $2 billion in volume was routed through Synthetix in June. Kaleb agreed saying, “it’s really amazing how such a small change could produce such an incredible result.” Wise words, Kaleb, wise words.
When asked if there is any stale flow in the volume, the guests said that is being monitored and the fills are very close with centralized exchange prices because of the incentive to arbitrage. So if a lot of the volume was stale flow, there would be a lot of ‘recycling’ from synth to synth, but they said they’re not seeing that because it’s not profitable (since the prices are competitive).
Currently, all of the transactions are under $10 million. The biggest barrier to further increasing transaction volume for 1inch is synth liquidity on Optimism. A lot of bots are using this functionality to arb curve pools, usually $50k-$100k, and some are arbing CEXs, $500k-$2million). Kwenta users are also using this functionality, and Kwenta was actually the first to integrate atomic swaps.
The Ambassadors and 1inch guests also discussed other topics such as current incentives for integrators and who benefits from all these atomic swaps. So be sure to check out the recording if you missed it!
Podcast now also on YOUTUBE
SNXweave Anchor Podcast: https://anchor.fm/snxweave
Follow us on Twitter! @snx_weave
SIP/SCCP status tracker:
SIP-229: Optimism Bridge for Synths, Status: implemented
SIP-230: Universal Circuit Breaker, Status: approved
SIP-258: Trade Directionality In Pricing of Atomic Swaps, Status: draft
SIP-202: Target Staking Ratio, Status: implemented
SIP-255: Redistribute sUSD Fees to L2, Status: draft
SIP-252: Liquidation of SNX Escrow, Status: draft
SIP-257: Debt-ratio futures market, Status: draft
|
880c0b6b-9f88-5035-b4ed-ecee4a94d8f4
|
25/08/2025 16:03:01
|
|
https://medium.com/@noyon674/different-between-spread-rest-62d4575d8721
|
medium.com
|
Different between Spread & Rest
| null |
Noyon Sarker
|
https://medium.com/@noyon674
|
62d4575d8721
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*K2NvqzfH4NUUjR6B
|
1 min
|
2024-04-04T06:17:24.917000
|
2024-04-04T06:26:16.499000
|
2024-11-29T07:49:48.170000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
JavaScript,Spread Operator,Rest Parameter
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/6000/0*K2NvqzfH4NUUjR6B" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" />
<p>The spread & rest, both used (…) same syntax in JavaScript.</p>
<p>When (…) used in the <em>objects</em> and <em>arrays</em>, it’s called <em>spread </em>operator.</p>
<p><strong>Spread Operator In Object</strong></p>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">/// spread operator
const Person = {
Name: 'Noyon',
Age: 24
};
const Person1 = {
...Person,
Gender: 'Male'
};
Object.values(Person1);
// [ "Noyon", 24, "Male" ]</code></pre>
<p><strong>Spread Operator In Array</strong></p>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">// spread operator
const arr1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const arr2 = ['a', 'b', 'c', ...arr1];
// a, b, c, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5</code></pre>
<p><strong>Rest Operator</strong></p>
<p><em>When (…) used as a function’s parameter, it’s called rest operator.</em></p>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">// rest operator
function sum(...value){
console.log(value)
};
sum(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10);
// [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]</code></pre>
</section>
|
Different between Spread & Rest
Photo by Jexo on Unsplash
The spread & rest, both used (…) same syntax in JavaScript.
When (…) used in the objects and arrays, it’s called spread operator.
Spread Operator In Object
/// spread operator
const Person = {
Name: 'Noyon',
Age: 24
};
const Person1 = {
...Person,
Gender: 'Male'
};
Object.values(Person1);
// [ "Noyon", 24, "Male" ]
Spread Operator In Array
// spread operator
const arr1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const arr2 = ['a', 'b', 'c', ...arr1];
// a, b, c, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Rest Operator
When (…) used as a function’s parameter, it’s called rest operator.
// rest operator
function sum(...value){
console.log(value)
};
sum(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10);
// [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]
|
319a446d-8a06-533c-8fce-b5ee9155e44d
|
25/08/2025 16:03:01
|
https://medium.com/@dustinbradley892/putin-and-rouhani-condemn-u-s-airstrikes-in-syria-in-phone-call-5d0a0fd49b8b
|
medium.com
|
Putin and Rouhani Condemn U.S. Airstrikes in Syria in Phone Call
| null |
Dustin Bradley
|
https://medium.com/@dustinbradley892
|
5d0a0fd49b8b
| null |
1 min
|
2017-04-09T15:42:48.849000
|
2017-04-09T15:42:49.596000
|
2017-04-09T15:42:49.596000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Nbc News World News
|
<section>
<p>The two leaders also called for an ‘objective, unbiased investigation’ into the bombing that killed more than 100 people last week in Idlib province, Syria, the Kremlin said.</p>
<p>from NBC News World News <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-rouhani-condemn-u-s-airstrikes-syria-phone-call-kremlin-n744331?cid=public-rss_20170409">http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-rouhani-condemn-u-s-airstrikes-syria-phone-call-kremlin-n744331?cid=public-rss_20170409</a>
via <a href="https://ifttt.com/?ref=da&site=wordpress">IFTTT</a></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/112/0*kQHrLcyv2C_x5vwj." width="112" height="16" loading="lazy" />
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1/0*lseJlQXbxgEDVG2Z." width="1" height="1" loading="lazy" />
<p><em>Originally published on <a href="</em>https://dunnccbyjqowal.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/putin-and-rouhani-condemn-u-s-airstrikes-in-syria-in-phone-call/">Wordpress</a></p>
</section>
|
The two leaders also called for an ‘objective, unbiased investigation’ into the bombing that killed more than 100 people last week in Idlib province, Syria, the Kremlin said.
from NBC News World News http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-rouhani-condemn-u-s-airstrikes-syria-phone-call-kremlin-n744331?cid=public-rss_20170409
via IFTTT
Originally published on Wordpress
|
e23ce195-3cd4-5f2a-9c57-2157862c6573
|
25/08/2025 16:03:01
|
https://medium.com/@valekawaii100/hi-its-me-valeri-kim-a76678297cc7
|
medium.com
|
Hi, it’s me, Valeri Kim
|
English:
|
Valeri Kim
|
https://medium.com/@valekawaii100
|
a76678297cc7
| null |
1 min
|
2018-06-03T16:36:19.563000
|
2018-06-03T17:03:00.775000
|
2018-06-03T17:03:01.675000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Spanish
|
<section>
<p>English:</p>
<p>Hi, my dear stranger from Medium, you do not know me and neither do I.</p>
<p>I am new to this type of things but I have a little experience, in my profile you can see different types of things like;</p>
<p>My story, Blogs about the life of today, but not those typical blogs that say: “Life is disgusting” or “Today we will talk about the president of Narnia” No, here not that, I will talk about things that happen to me and I will comment on them, I will comment on them and you can comment on them.</p>
<p>Also I would like to open a section where you, the strangers, the strangers, tell me their problems and I can help them because I also have experience in that.</p>
<p>I want you to know from the beginning that I will be an anonymous person, but obviously I will not be counting your problems out there, what I want is for you to trust me.</p>
<p>Well, that has been, this has been like a small presentation, so they know a little of what I’m doing.</p>
<p>Español:</p>
<p>Hola, mi querido extraño de Medium, no me conoces y yo tampoco.
Soy nueva en este tipo de cosas pero tengo un poco de experiencia, en mi perfil puedes ver diferentes tipos de cosas como;</p>
<p>Mi historia, Blogs sobre la vida de hoy, pero no esos blogs típicos que dicen: “La vida es asquerosa” o “Hoy hablaremos sobre el presidente de Narnia”. No, aquí no, hablaré sobre cosas que me sucedan y comentaré sobre ellas, y tu tambien podrás comentarlos.</p>
<p>También me gustaría abrir una sección en la que tú, el extraño, el desconocido, me diga su problema y pueda ayudarte porque también tengo experiencia en eso.</p>
<p>Quiero que sepas desde el principio que seré una persona anónima, pero obviamente no contaré tus problemas, lo que quiero es que confíes en mí.</p>
<p>Bueno, eso ha sido, esto ha sido como una pequeña presentación, es para que sepas un poco de lo que hare.</p>
</section>
|
Hi, it’s me, Valeri Kim
English:
Hi, my dear stranger from Medium, you do not know me and neither do I.
I am new to this type of things but I have a little experience, in my profile you can see different types of things like;
My story, Blogs about the life of today, but not those typical blogs that say: “Life is disgusting” or “Today we will talk about the president of Narnia” No, here not that, I will talk about things that happen to me and I will comment on them, I will comment on them and you can comment on them.
Also I would like to open a section where you, the strangers, the strangers, tell me their problems and I can help them because I also have experience in that.
I want you to know from the beginning that I will be an anonymous person, but obviously I will not be counting your problems out there, what I want is for you to trust me.
Well, that has been, this has been like a small presentation, so they know a little of what I’m doing.
Español:
Hola, mi querido extraño de Medium, no me conoces y yo tampoco.
Soy nueva en este tipo de cosas pero tengo un poco de experiencia, en mi perfil puedes ver diferentes tipos de cosas como;
Mi historia, Blogs sobre la vida de hoy, pero no esos blogs típicos que dicen: “La vida es asquerosa” o “Hoy hablaremos sobre el presidente de Narnia”. No, aquí no, hablaré sobre cosas que me sucedan y comentaré sobre ellas, y tu tambien podrás comentarlos.
También me gustaría abrir una sección en la que tú, el extraño, el desconocido, me diga su problema y pueda ayudarte porque también tengo experiencia en eso.
Quiero que sepas desde el principio que seré una persona anónima, pero obviamente no contaré tus problemas, lo que quiero es que confíes en mí.
Bueno, eso ha sido, esto ha sido como una pequeña presentación, es para que sepas un poco de lo que hare.
|
945f3c8d-d995-5970-9bc1-fb2a8b037c41
|
25/08/2025 16:03:02
|
https://medium.com/@eedeebee/ive-read-dozens-of-recipes-for-pickles-fca1c9258dc6
|
medium.com
|
Cold-pack Half-sour Pickles
|
I’ve read dozens of recipes for pickles. It seems everyone makes them a little different. I am interested in the crunchy and salty, not…
|
Eric Bloch
|
https://medium.com/@eedeebee
|
fca1c9258dc6
|
2 min
|
2023-01-13T22:07:15.860000
|
2023-01-13T22:58:07.020000
|
2023-01-13T23:02:47.568000
| 2 | 57 |
en
|
Pickles,Recipes For Cooking
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3024/1*FN7-UI1_sy8lRqnCywLphQ.jpeg" width="3024" height="4032" loading="lazy" />
<p>I’ve read dozens of recipes for pickles. It seems everyone makes them a little different. I am interested in the crunchy and salty, <em><st</em>rong>not</strong> vinegary pickles — the kind you get in proper delicatessens.</p>
<h1>Jar and Cucumbers</h1>
<p>I use a half-gallon Ball Jar and some Kirby (aka pickling) cucumbers. Pick the firm ones and if they aren’t firm, go elsewhere. They can be any old shape.</p>
<p>You wanna get enough to fill the jar — it’s always guess work. Depending on their size you can fit only maybe 6 very large ones or perhaps 10 or more of medium/smaller size. Buy one or two extra just in case you have more room :)</p>
<h2>Instructions</h2>
<p>I apologize for the lack of precision here — this is what I got.</p>
<p>Put the following in the bottom of your jar:</p>
<ul>
<li>1–3 garlic cloves in a few cut pieces each or whatever you want; the more you smash up, the stronger the garlic flavor.</li>
<li>Coriander seeds — I dunno how many I never measure but maybe it’s 1/2 or a whole teaspoon. Maybe less.</li>
<li>Black pepper corns — a bit more than the coriander. But up to you.</li>
<li>Some, but not too many red chili flakes ; guessing a haf teaspoon but I always eye ball it. Could be less.</li>
<li>Some sprigs of fresh dill. Up to you again, I grab a handful of the stuff and sometimes cut in half and sometimes not.</li>
</ul>
<p>2. In a sauce pot or pitcher or whatever you got, put 6 cups of cold water and 1/4 cup of salt. Swirl around to disolve the salt. It won’t dissolve perfectly so you will have to swirl around a few times.</p>
<p>3. Clean the cucumbers with cold water and get off any stems. Then put them into the jar, best you can. And then fill the jar with water to nearly the brim. I put the jar on a plate so it’s easy to move around since I might spill some water. I then put it in a cool, dry, darkish place in my house for 1–3 days depending. I loosely cover with the ball jar lid piece sort of ajar. And then drape a dish cloth over the bottle. I check on it once a day. Eventually it will generate some small bubbles up top. Usually day 2 or 3. Once it’s doing that, put the lid on, twist it close, shake up the bottle a little, and put in the fridge.</p>
<p>4. Wait, taste, and eat! Once they are fully chilled, you can taste, but it usually takes a day or so for them to be spot on to my liking. I usually quarter (or sometimes more) them and put the pieces I don’t eat back in the jar. Sometimes I just half them too :) And then they continue to change flavor every additional day you leave em in there. So there is that.</p>
<p>My experience suggests that your first jar won’t be perfect, so expect to experiment a bit with what’s in the jar and the wait times!</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3024/1*tt-BHv8GSkKbfSuRsQAeyg.jpeg" width="3024" height="4032" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
Cold-pack Half-sour Pickles
Pickles on day 4
I’ve read dozens of recipes for pickles. It seems everyone makes them a little different. I am interested in the crunchy and salty, not vinegary pickles — the kind you get in proper delicatessens.
Jar and Cucumbers
I use a half-gallon Ball Jar and some Kirby (aka pickling) cucumbers. Pick the firm ones and if they aren’t firm, go elsewhere. They can be any old shape.
You wanna get enough to fill the jar — it’s always guess work. Depending on their size you can fit only maybe 6 very large ones or perhaps 10 or more of medium/smaller size. Buy one or two extra just in case you have more room :)
Instructions
I apologize for the lack of precision here — this is what I got.
Put the following in the bottom of your jar:
1–3 garlic cloves in a few cut pieces each or whatever you want; the more you smash up, the stronger the garlic flavor.
Coriander seeds — I dunno how many I never measure but maybe it’s 1/2 or a whole teaspoon. Maybe less.
Black pepper corns — a bit more than the coriander. But up to you.
Some, but not too many red chili flakes ; guessing a haf teaspoon but I always eye ball it. Could be less.
Some sprigs of fresh dill. Up to you again, I grab a handful of the stuff and sometimes cut in half and sometimes not.
2. In a sauce pot or pitcher or whatever you got, put 6 cups of cold water and 1/4 cup of salt. Swirl around to disolve the salt. It won’t dissolve perfectly so you will have to swirl around a few times.
3. Clean the cucumbers with cold water and get off any stems. Then put them into the jar, best you can. And then fill the jar with water to nearly the brim. I put the jar on a plate so it’s easy to move around since I might spill some water. I then put it in a cool, dry, darkish place in my house for 1–3 days depending. I loosely cover with the ball jar lid piece sort of ajar. And then drape a dish cloth over the bottle. I check on it once a day. Eventually it will generate some small bubbles up top. Usually day 2 or 3. Once it’s doing that, put the lid on, twist it close, shake up the bottle a little, and put in the fridge.
4. Wait, taste, and eat! Once they are fully chilled, you can taste, but it usually takes a day or so for them to be spot on to my liking. I usually quarter (or sometimes more) them and put the pieces I don’t eat back in the jar. Sometimes I just half them too :) And then they continue to change flavor every additional day you leave em in there. So there is that.
My experience suggests that your first jar won’t be perfect, so expect to experiment a bit with what’s in the jar and the wait times!
|
5099682e-4711-5149-a4f8-47109dfd6610
|
25/08/2025 16:03:02
|
|
https://medium.com/@thebrittanyb/black-girl-magic-part-3-6f8be435366
|
medium.com
|
Black Girl Magic Series
|
Part III: Reconciliation
|
Brittany Bullock
|
https://medium.com/@thebrittanyb
|
6f8be435366
|
5 min
|
2016-12-23T15:11:29.950000
|
2016-12-29T17:01:09.308000
|
2018-04-04T00:25:18.849000
| 0 | 25 |
en
|
Black Women,Blackgirlmagic,BlackLivesMatter,Black Girls Rock,Black Girls
|
<section>
<h3>Part III: Reconciliation</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/400/1*h6SEdR2AOYe2-gLer2EWLg.jpeg" width="400" height="285" loading="lazy" />
<p>By now you have read <a href="https://medium.com/@bjbullock08/black-girl-magic-series-part-1-36f1eae5fef8#.3dedvfs7w">part 1</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@bjbullock08/black-girl-magic-series-48e3bb0acb24#.42t6746sw">2</a> of this series. You have spent 15 minutes gazing at lines on the screen nodding your head, and shouting in your head “girl, yes” with a slight raise of the prayer hand. Maybe you even through a quote by my all-time favorite <a href="http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Who-Joanne-Scammer-42298853#photo-42298853">Joanne the Scammer </a>and said, “Iconic.”</p>
<p>On the other side, you may have read and disagreed with what I said. What others said or felt. Even with my initial disclaimer, your feathers may have still been ruffled. You may have closed the screen in anger, but yet here you are again.</p>
<p>Congratulations. You’ve been scammed.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/480/1*Eq-tNMmua2qu0q0vhydeqQ.gif" width="480" height="270" loading="lazy" />
<p>Regardless of the disclaimer, I wanted you to feel some type of way. I was able to achieve my goal: People have vented. Feathers have been ruffled. Questions are arising. The conversation is being held.</p>
<h1>Where Do We Go From Here, My Love?</h1>
<blockquote>It’s time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies that make the babies</blockquote>
<blockquote>2 Pac, Keep Ya Head Up</blockquote>
<p>Speaking with both men and women, the varying reactions and thoughts generated a level of uncomfortableness with topics and how to actually solve it. Imagine being at a dinner party where you and your ex have both shown up with the new people that you are dating level of uncomfortableness. Jabs were thrown and side eyes were given, but what both sides did agree on was that understanding is needed.</p>
<p><em>“We need to try to comprehend what the other goes through. Stop feeding into stereotypes and giving them life, especially the whole ‘black men aint shxt’ narrative. While it might be a joke, it gets old hearing it and can push people into just being able to play that role and accept it” — </em>Bobby Christmas, Detroit, MI</p>
<p><em>“Part of the repair process needs to include black men seeing how we are damaged by their psyche and working to repair it with us, because only they can. We also need better examples of the media and other places. We often are just seeing the anger, ratchet and sexualization.” — </em>Jenai Davis, Chicago, IL</p>
<p><em>“When we ask questions or don’t understand don’t attack us. Don’t just expect us to get it. How you react to us trying to understand is important. We aren’t going to be willing to try if we are just met with disdain.” — </em>Michael Finn, Philadelphia, PA</p>
<p><em>“It’s very quixotic and easier said than done. Men have to stop being hard headed and learn to listen, forgive, and move on. In turn, we have to stop faulted for us not understanding or not being emotional. It’s a process.” — </em>Brendan Francis, New York, New York.</p>
<p><em>“At a very very root level- when black men hear black feminism, their immediate association is equality, which everyone can get with; however, most men have tough time reconciling that with the ‘value’ roles placed on them when it comes to constructs of say, mating. The media tells black men we aren’t worthy unless we can afford $300 dates- that’s exacerbated by the sheer fact that frankly, from a socioeconomic standpoint, black people statistically aren’t well off financially.” </em>Fred Greene, Washington D.C.</p>
<p><em>“We need to stop trying to one-up one another on ‘who has it worse.’ I understand that I am not a black man so I will never fully understand, but being reasonable and having empathy is important and vice versa.” — </em>Stephanie Hart, Chicago, IL</p>
<p><em>“Black women face so many black and women specific obstacles. Unless you are understanding of those obstacles, and eagerly engaging in using your privilege to remove them, you still got work to do. We all do. There is nothing wrong with that. We have to also start by learning how to talk to one another” —</em> Morgan Malone, Chicago, IL</p>
<p><em>“It can be difficult to have these conversations because we are expected to put our race above our gender. It can be hard for men to see the privilege they have. In my opinion, a lot of the disagreement comes from people not knowing the work of a black feminist and womanist vs mainstream feminist”. — </em>Chanel Jackson, Hyattsville, Maryland</p>
<p>There is no blanket answer to how people feel or how to solve this. The biggest thing we can do is to keep on keepin’ on. Keep discussing it. Keep trying to understand. Keep working on it. Keep working on ourselves. Keep working for one another.</p>
<p>Keep the conversation going.</p>
<p>Credits:</p>
<p><em>Bobby Christmas (yes…that is his real last name) is a dashing engineer that recently relocated to the Detroit area. A Morehouse man, he loves getting people together to have a good time and takes genuine interests in supporting the community. He also sounds like Drake which gives him a few bonus points</em>.</p>
<p><em>A native of Chicago, Jenai is an auditor and licensed CPA. A natural hair enthusiast, she can be seen hopping around from continent to continent spreading her Black Girl Magic internationally. In her spare time, Jenai likes to be creative and is forever interested in learning new things. Edamame is one of her favorite snacks.</em></p>
<p><em>Michael Finn is currently studying business in the ivy leagues. Known for being the captain of the turn up, the former consultant is an educated wise guy from New York. He prides himself in being internationally known and making moves. Outside of traveling the world, Finn is an avid music lover. “Maria, Im drunk” by Travis Scott can be heard on replay from him at all times.</em></p>
<p><em>A New Yorker that relocated to Chicago, IL Brendan Francis is risk management analyst as well as a graduate student at University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Proud of his island heritage, Brendan is often having people over to his newly purchased home (claps) to delight themselves in fellowship and Caribbean cuisine. He also is heavily involved in the community with several organizations including being a youth football coach.</em></p>
<p><em>Fred Greene is a real estate developer and investor based out of Washington D.C. A graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he’s also the co-founder of an education venture that teaches urban youth ownership and turns them into owners by the way of real estate. In his spare time, the recently engaged Fred enjoys thinking of ways to take over the world with his future lawyer bride( *snaps for black love*) in addition to listening to Migos.</em></p>
<p><em>A graduate of Indiana University, Stephanie Hart works in IT in the Chicago area. Often having to travel out of the country for work, Stephanie has dedicated this time to going on a “Pizza World Tour” to be an international pizza taster in her down time. She is also one-third of the podcast, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/unwine-podcast</em>/id1138195787?mt=2">UnWine,</a> with her childhood best friends Jasmine and Jazmine.</p>
<p><em>Chanel is a graduate of Spelman College. She is currently a diversity and inclusiveness liaison and 3rd grade teacher in Washington, DC. She is a lover of all things food and social justice. Chanel is one part Cardi, one part Coretta, but all parts womanist.</em></p>
<p><em>Morgan Malone is a devoted public servant, winetrepreneur, and imagineer. A DMV native turned Chicago transplant, you can find her raving about Black womanism, participatory governance, and the latest JohnnySwim project. When she’s not plotting and planning, you’ll find her with a glass of Beaujolais and a host of friends planning world takeover.</em></p>
</section>
|
Black Girl Magic Series
Part III: Reconciliation
By now you have read part 1 and 2 of this series. You have spent 15 minutes gazing at lines on the screen nodding your head, and shouting in your head “girl, yes” with a slight raise of the prayer hand. Maybe you even through a quote by my all-time favorite Joanne the Scammer and said, “Iconic.”
On the other side, you may have read and disagreed with what I said. What others said or felt. Even with my initial disclaimer, your feathers may have still been ruffled. You may have closed the screen in anger, but yet here you are again.
Congratulations. You’ve been scammed.
Regardless of the disclaimer, I wanted you to feel some type of way. I was able to achieve my goal: People have vented. Feathers have been ruffled. Questions are arising. The conversation is being held.
Where Do We Go From Here, My Love?
It’s time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies that make the babies
2 Pac, Keep Ya Head Up
Speaking with both men and women, the varying reactions and thoughts generated a level of uncomfortableness with topics and how to actually solve it. Imagine being at a dinner party where you and your ex have both shown up with the new people that you are dating level of uncomfortableness. Jabs were thrown and side eyes were given, but what both sides did agree on was that understanding is needed.
“We need to try to comprehend what the other goes through. Stop feeding into stereotypes and giving them life, especially the whole ‘black men aint shxt’ narrative. While it might be a joke, it gets old hearing it and can push people into just being able to play that role and accept it” — Bobby Christmas, Detroit, MI
“Part of the repair process needs to include black men seeing how we are damaged by their psyche and working to repair it with us, because only they can. We also need better examples of the media and other places. We often are just seeing the anger, ratchet and sexualization.” — Jenai Davis, Chicago, IL
“When we ask questions or don’t understand don’t attack us. Don’t just expect us to get it. How you react to us trying to understand is important. We aren’t going to be willing to try if we are just met with disdain.” — Michael Finn, Philadelphia, PA
“It’s very quixotic and easier said than done. Men have to stop being hard headed and learn to listen, forgive, and move on. In turn, we have to stop faulted for us not understanding or not being emotional. It’s a process.” — Brendan Francis, New York, New York.
“At a very very root level- when black men hear black feminism, their immediate association is equality, which everyone can get with; however, most men have tough time reconciling that with the ‘value’ roles placed on them when it comes to constructs of say, mating. The media tells black men we aren’t worthy unless we can afford $300 dates- that’s exacerbated by the sheer fact that frankly, from a socioeconomic standpoint, black people statistically aren’t well off financially.” Fred Greene, Washington D.C.
“We need to stop trying to one-up one another on ‘who has it worse.’ I understand that I am not a black man so I will never fully understand, but being reasonable and having empathy is important and vice versa.” — Stephanie Hart, Chicago, IL
“Black women face so many black and women specific obstacles. Unless you are understanding of those obstacles, and eagerly engaging in using your privilege to remove them, you still got work to do. We all do. There is nothing wrong with that. We have to also start by learning how to talk to one another” — Morgan Malone, Chicago, IL
“It can be difficult to have these conversations because we are expected to put our race above our gender. It can be hard for men to see the privilege they have. In my opinion, a lot of the disagreement comes from people not knowing the work of a black feminist and womanist vs mainstream feminist”. — Chanel Jackson, Hyattsville, Maryland
There is no blanket answer to how people feel or how to solve this. The biggest thing we can do is to keep on keepin’ on. Keep discussing it. Keep trying to understand. Keep working on it. Keep working on ourselves. Keep working for one another.
Keep the conversation going.
Credits:
Bobby Christmas (yes…that is his real last name) is a dashing engineer that recently relocated to the Detroit area. A Morehouse man, he loves getting people together to have a good time and takes genuine interests in supporting the community. He also sounds like Drake which gives him a few bonus points.
A native of Chicago, Jenai is an auditor and licensed CPA. A natural hair enthusiast, she can be seen hopping around from continent to continent spreading her Black Girl Magic internationally. In her spare time, Jenai likes to be creative and is forever interested in learning new things. Edamame is one of her favorite snacks.
Michael Finn is currently studying business in the ivy leagues. Known for being the captain of the turn up, the former consultant is an educated wise guy from New York. He prides himself in being internationally known and making moves. Outside of traveling the world, Finn is an avid music lover. “Maria, Im drunk” by Travis Scott can be heard on replay from him at all times.
A New Yorker that relocated to Chicago, IL Brendan Francis is risk management analyst as well as a graduate student at University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Proud of his island heritage, Brendan is often having people over to his newly purchased home (claps) to delight themselves in fellowship and Caribbean cuisine. He also is heavily involved in the community with several organizations including being a youth football coach.
Fred Greene is a real estate developer and investor based out of Washington D.C. A graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he’s also the co-founder of an education venture that teaches urban youth ownership and turns them into owners by the way of real estate. In his spare time, the recently engaged Fred enjoys thinking of ways to take over the world with his future lawyer bride( *snaps for black love*) in addition to listening to Migos.
A graduate of Indiana University, Stephanie Hart works in IT in the Chicago area. Often having to travel out of the country for work, Stephanie has dedicated this time to going on a “Pizza World Tour” to be an international pizza taster in her down time. She is also one-third of the podcast, UnWine, with her childhood best friends Jasmine and Jazmine.
Chanel is a graduate of Spelman College. She is currently a diversity and inclusiveness liaison and 3rd grade teacher in Washington, DC. She is a lover of all things food and social justice. Chanel is one part Cardi, one part Coretta, but all parts womanist.
Morgan Malone is a devoted public servant, winetrepreneur, and imagineer. A DMV native turned Chicago transplant, you can find her raving about Black womanism, participatory governance, and the latest JohnnySwim project. When she’s not plotting and planning, you’ll find her with a glass of Beaujolais and a host of friends planning world takeover.
|
848b2be8-37b5-555f-9972-8909bf56202b
|
25/08/2025 16:03:02
|
|
https://genemarks.medium.com/the-good-news-about-gen-z-ef4453373c36
|
medium.com
|
The Good News About Gen Z
|
This week, I talk with Loren Feldman about what Gen Z values in a job.
|
Gene Marks
|
https://medium.com/@genemarks
|
ef4453373c36
|
1 min
|
2023-02-15T00:43:27.306000
|
2023-02-15T00:45:58.351000
|
2023-02-16T04:16:02.829000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Gen Z,Employee,Employer,Business,Business Owner
|
<section>
<h1>This week, I talk with Loren Feldman about what Gen Z values in a job.</h1>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/811/1*LOnj0BC-LrFXmCwWnr8oPA.png" width="811" height="797" loading="lazy" />
<p>The research suggests it’s not the job — it’s more about people and meaning. And that’s good news for smaller businesses, because those are things they can offer. But you might want to emphasize that in your job descriptions. Plus: Is this recession happening or not? And what will ChatGPT’s upending of search mean for all of the businesses who’ve been investing in SEO? They’re not going to be happy. <a href="https://pod.link/1494748593/episode/867e18e8923809fbed1fa712b32c291f">Listen here</a>.</p>
</section>
|
The Good News About Gen Z
This week, I talk with Loren Feldman about what Gen Z values in a job.
The research suggests it’s not the job — it’s more about people and meaning. And that’s good news for smaller businesses, because those are things they can offer. But you might want to emphasize that in your job descriptions. Plus: Is this recession happening or not? And what will ChatGPT’s upending of search mean for all of the businesses who’ve been investing in SEO? They’re not going to be happy. Listen here.
|
bcffa1ac-fe9c-5158-b9ae-48fa7f65608c
|
25/08/2025 16:03:03
|
|
https://medium.com/@MNICorp/the-benefit-of-crowdfunding-integrated-with-blockchain-708354c76a77
|
medium.com
|
The Benefit of Crowdfunding integrated with Blockchain.
|
Conventional crowdfunding is a fundraising model where a large number of people contribute small amounts of money to support a specific…
|
MNI Corp
|
https://medium.com/@MNICorp
|
708354c76a77
|
2 min
|
2023-04-06T14:26:53.086000
|
2023-04-06T14:33:10.596000
|
2023-04-06T14:42:14.908000
| 1 | 556 |
en
|
Defi,Dao,Crypto,Crowdfunding,Blockchain
|
<section>
<p>Conventional crowdfunding is a fundraising model where a large number of people contribute small amounts of money to support a specific project, business, or cause. Here are the general steps involved in conventional crowdfunding:</p>
<p>A project creator creates a campaign: The creator identifies a specific project or initiative they want to fund and sets up a campaign on a crowdfunding platform. The campaign should include details about the project, funding goals, and rewards for different levels of contribution.</p>
<p>Promoting the campaign: The creator promotes the campaign through social media, email, and other channels to attract potential backers.</p>
<p>Backers contribute: Interested individuals can browse campaigns on the crowdfunding platform and decide which projects they want to support. They can then contribute to the campaign by making a donation or pre-ordering a product or service.</p>
<p>The campaign goal is reached: The campaign creator sets a fundraising goal, which is the amount of money they need to complete the project. If the campaign reaches its goal, the funds are transferred to the creator to carry out the project.</p>
<p>The campaign goal is not reached: If the campaign does not reach its funding goal, the funds are not transferred to the creator, and backers are not charged.</p>
<p>Delivery of rewards: Once the project is complete, the creator delivers the rewards promised to backers. These may include early access to products or services, exclusive merchandise, or other perks.</p>
<p>Overall, conventional crowdfunding provides a way for entrepreneurs and creators to raise money for their projects while building a community of supporters who are invested in their success.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1080/1*N_W-cJZDacmtJ0own1-Ytg.png" width="1080" height="1080" loading="lazy" />
<p><em><strong>Now the crowd</em> pleaser</strong>, MNICORP takes this to next level with innovation and structures that don’t ask the community to allocate funds to a pool but rather incentivise this mechanism.</p>
<p>This is done by trading and speculation of the MNI token to create a slippage fund. These funds accumulate purely by open market trading, while speculators and adopters alike inadvertently create a treasury. This treasury is defined as the “Ecosystem Allocator” belonging to the MNICORP community and solely governed through the DAO. Integrating blockchain technology with conventional crowdfunding can provide additional benefits, such as increased security, transparency, and efficiency. Here are some ways you can add blockchain to conventional crowdfunding:</p>
<p>Smart contracts: Smart contracts are self-executing contracts that use blockchain technology to automatically verify and enforce the terms of an agreement. By integrating smart contracts into a crowdfunding platform, you can ensure that funds are distributed automatically based on pre-defined rules, and backers can be assured that their contributions will be used as intended.</p>
<p>Decentralized crowdfunding: Traditional crowdfunding platforms are centralized, which means that they are controlled by a single entity. In a decentralized crowdfunding model, the platform is distributed across multiple nodes, making it more resistant to hacking and censorship. This approach also enables global participation, as anyone with an internet connection can participate.</p>
<p>Cryptocurrency transfers: Blockchain technology enables the use of Cryptocurrency, which can be used to contribute to a crowdfunding campaign. This can make it easier for backers to participate from anywhere in the world, without having to worry about currency conversion or international transaction fees.</p>
<p>Immutable record-keeping: Blockchain technology creates a tamper-proof record of all transactions, which can be used to provide transparency and accountability in crowdfunding. This can help build trust among backers, who can verify that their contributions have been received and are being used as intended.</p>
<p>Overall, integrating blockchain technology with conventional crowdfunding can help increase transparency, security, and efficiency, while enabling a broader range of backers to participate.</p>
</section>
|
The Benefit of Crowdfunding integrated with Blockchain.
Conventional crowdfunding is a fundraising model where a large number of people contribute small amounts of money to support a specific project, business, or cause. Here are the general steps involved in conventional crowdfunding:
A project creator creates a campaign: The creator identifies a specific project or initiative they want to fund and sets up a campaign on a crowdfunding platform. The campaign should include details about the project, funding goals, and rewards for different levels of contribution.
Promoting the campaign: The creator promotes the campaign through social media, email, and other channels to attract potential backers.
Backers contribute: Interested individuals can browse campaigns on the crowdfunding platform and decide which projects they want to support. They can then contribute to the campaign by making a donation or pre-ordering a product or service.
The campaign goal is reached: The campaign creator sets a fundraising goal, which is the amount of money they need to complete the project. If the campaign reaches its goal, the funds are transferred to the creator to carry out the project.
The campaign goal is not reached: If the campaign does not reach its funding goal, the funds are not transferred to the creator, and backers are not charged.
Delivery of rewards: Once the project is complete, the creator delivers the rewards promised to backers. These may include early access to products or services, exclusive merchandise, or other perks.
Overall, conventional crowdfunding provides a way for entrepreneurs and creators to raise money for their projects while building a community of supporters who are invested in their success.
Now the crowd pleaser, MNICORP takes this to next level with innovation and structures that don’t ask the community to allocate funds to a pool but rather incentivise this mechanism.
This is done by trading and speculation of the MNI token to create a slippage fund. These funds accumulate purely by open market trading, while speculators and adopters alike inadvertently create a treasury. This treasury is defined as the “Ecosystem Allocator” belonging to the MNICORP community and solely governed through the DAO. Integrating blockchain technology with conventional crowdfunding can provide additional benefits, such as increased security, transparency, and efficiency. Here are some ways you can add blockchain to conventional crowdfunding:
Smart contracts: Smart contracts are self-executing contracts that use blockchain technology to automatically verify and enforce the terms of an agreement. By integrating smart contracts into a crowdfunding platform, you can ensure that funds are distributed automatically based on pre-defined rules, and backers can be assured that their contributions will be used as intended.
Decentralized crowdfunding: Traditional crowdfunding platforms are centralized, which means that they are controlled by a single entity. In a decentralized crowdfunding model, the platform is distributed across multiple nodes, making it more resistant to hacking and censorship. This approach also enables global participation, as anyone with an internet connection can participate.
Cryptocurrency transfers: Blockchain technology enables the use of Cryptocurrency, which can be used to contribute to a crowdfunding campaign. This can make it easier for backers to participate from anywhere in the world, without having to worry about currency conversion or international transaction fees.
Immutable record-keeping: Blockchain technology creates a tamper-proof record of all transactions, which can be used to provide transparency and accountability in crowdfunding. This can help build trust among backers, who can verify that their contributions have been received and are being used as intended.
Overall, integrating blockchain technology with conventional crowdfunding can help increase transparency, security, and efficiency, while enabling a broader range of backers to participate.
|
d8071269-a6a3-5246-92dd-2db604dfeee3
|
25/08/2025 16:03:03
|
|
https://medium.com/@imagex/9-habits-of-highly-effective-project-managers-c2b58ad7fccd
|
medium.com
|
9 Habits of Highly Effective Project Managers
|
So you have your project kicked off and things are now underway. How do you keep up with the day to day juggling of the multiple projects…
|
ImageX
|
https://medium.com/@imagex
|
c2b58ad7fccd
| null |
4 min
|
2016-09-20T00:22:03.846000
|
2016-09-23T00:56:05.315000
|
2016-09-23T00:56:06.507000
| 0 | 2 |
en
|
Project Management,Agile,Client Management,Agency,Drupal
|
<section>
<p>So you have your project kicked off and things are now underway. How do you keep up with the day to day juggling of the multiple projects that you’ve been assigned to and the numerous stakeholders demanding your attention? You haven’t had nearly enough coffee yet to be able to keep up with the high demands of the Project Manager’s world, let alone function properly.</p>
<p>Whether you’re a new project manager or a seasoned veteran, Project Management can be quite an overwhelming role. So what are some of the things you do to keep yourself in check? Take a deep breathe and exhale. I’m here to help.</p>
<p>At ImageX, we work on Drupal web design and development projects for Higher Education and other verticals. Our day to day tasks might be different than yours, but whether you’re project managing a website, a new product or a skyscraper, we can all learn how to be more effective project managers.</p>
<p>Last month myself, along with the rest of the Project Managers at ImageX, were asked to individually write down what we believed were the 10 most effective habits of a Project Manager (PM). At first I thought, “that’s easy”, and so I went about writing a whole list of things that I knew would make me a highly effective project manager. After I started putting my thoughts together, I realized how much I had on the list, but also how frequently I missed some of these small but crucial habits. When our PM team re-grouped to discuss what everyone had put in, it made me realize how I had missed some of the habits that they thought were highly effective to THEM. So collaboratively, we not only were able to combine all of our habits to create a comprehensive daily project checklist, but also reduce it down from 10 to top 9 Habits of Highly Effective Project Managers! And in true open source spirit, here they are for you to practice:</p>
<h1>1. Invest in client relations</h1>
<ul>
<li>Establish yourself as our single point of contact & ensure the client has one, too</li>
<li>Research — find out about your clients and stakeholders, their business and industry, etc.</li>
<li>Build relationships — put in extra effort to create connections with the client</li>
<li>Show enthusiasm for their ideas — even if even if you disagree… hear them out and try to understand where they are coming from</li>
<li>Don’t assume anything! Ask for clarity if you don’t understand something</li>
<li>Keep written communication professional — remember, they might be shared</li>
</ul>
<h2>2. Manage expectations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Ensure client understands their responsibilities (feedback & deliverables) and their potential impact on timeline/budget</li>
<li>Manage the client as a resource. Hold them accountable and send them reminders if they have deliverables</li>
<li>Push back — consult your clients on best practices & trends. Tell them if you think something may hurt their business and why.</li>
<li>Always follow through on what you say!</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Working with the Project Management team at ImageX has always been an easy and productive process. When we’ve had complicated projects, unexpected needs or near-impossible deadlines, they’ve been able to help keep things running smoothly and make sure our objectives get met.</em></p>
<p><em>-Bruce Stewart, Producer at <a href="http://www.management</em>exchange.com/users/bruce-stewart-2">Management Innovation eXchange</a></p>
<h2>3. Structure projects appropriately</h2>
<ul>
<li>Establish milestones — short-term goals keep long-term projects on track</li>
<li>Structure work into weekly or bi-weekly sprints</li>
<li>Who? What? When? Task Assignment</li>
<li>Formalize releases — establish when a client gets to see/try things and work toward incremental delivery</li>
<li>QA through-out — acceptance criteria and ongoing testing</li>
</ul>
<h2>4. Stay up to date</h2>
<ul>
<li>Monitor time and budget daily</li>
<li>Check daily developer reports & look out for their roadblocks</li>
<li>Establish and maintain daily team check-ins</li>
<li>Set regular (weekly/bi-weekly) client check-in meetings</li>
</ul>
<h2>5. Involve your team</h2>
<ul>
<li>Plan out entire project with team when possible</li>
<li>Involve your team in sprint planning</li>
<li>Ensure your team accepts tasks & estimates</li>
<li>Check with your team for any pressing questions/concerns before the client check-in</li>
<li>Ensure they have what they need to complete tasks</li>
<li>Don’t forget to report back — share client feedback with your team</li>
</ul>
<h2>6. Document meetings and decisions</h2>
<ul>
<li>Take excellent client meeting minutes to ensure you capture critical decisions, statements and action required… ensure your documentation would be tight enough to cover you if there were ever to be a legal dispute</li>
<li>Schedule gaps between meetings (no back-to-back) to give time to digest meeting outcomes</li>
<li>Solicit client feedback on minutes, but assume acceptance</li>
<li>Post minutes to the common forum where all the communications are kept ideally within a day (by end of day is best)</li>
<li>Establish clear action items, track & follow up!</li>
<li>Don’t forget to document relevant internal meeting minutes</li>
</ul>
<h2>7. Report!</h2>
<ul>
<li>Provide a weekly progress report to the client</li>
<li>Review progress at client check-ins</li>
<li>Keep capacity planning tool updated weekly to ensure everyone is fully utilized, maximizing company productivity</li>
<li>Keep project brief updated with latest documents on any updated contracts, etc</li>
<li>Provide weekly reports to your supervisor, keep them in the loop</li>
</ul>
<h2>8. Manage change</h2>
<ul>
<li>No surprises — communicate early & often</li>
<li>Analyze impact of changes and adapt project deliverables & schedule as necessary</li>
<li>Protect scope & transfer creep to change orders</li>
<li>Don’t stick to original plan when there are opportunities to improve</li>
<li>Adjust schedule & priorities to minimize downtime & under-utilized resources</li>
</ul>
<h2>9. Keep improving</h2>
<ul>
<li>Learn how to use your technology such as creating your own blog post using Drupal admin to expereince what your clients might have to experience</li>
<li>Have regular Project Management group process meetings</li>
<li>Solidify estimation tools & techniques</li>
<li>Perform retrospective/post-mortem/lessons learned meetings on all projects</li>
<li>Measure budget success & failure for better estimation going forward</li>
<li>Proceed with side projects & process development in your spare time</li>
</ul>
<p>There you have it. These are just some of the habits that our Project Management team practices daily and has stuck onto their walls. So how about you? How do you keep on top of your game as a PM? Share one of your highly effective habits that you practice as a PM. Or share something that you think a PM should always take into consideration when managing a web project.</p>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="http://www.imagexmedia.com/blog/2014/03/9-habits</em>-highly-effective-project-managers">imagexmedia.com</a>. <a href="http://imagexmedia.com/contact">Contact us</a> for all of your Drupal needs.</p>
</section>
|
9 Habits of Highly Effective Project Managers
So you have your project kicked off and things are now underway. How do you keep up with the day to day juggling of the multiple projects that you’ve been assigned to and the numerous stakeholders demanding your attention? You haven’t had nearly enough coffee yet to be able to keep up with the high demands of the Project Manager’s world, let alone function properly.
Whether you’re a new project manager or a seasoned veteran, Project Management can be quite an overwhelming role. So what are some of the things you do to keep yourself in check? Take a deep breathe and exhale. I’m here to help.
At ImageX, we work on Drupal web design and development projects for Higher Education and other verticals. Our day to day tasks might be different than yours, but whether you’re project managing a website, a new product or a skyscraper, we can all learn how to be more effective project managers.
Last month myself, along with the rest of the Project Managers at ImageX, were asked to individually write down what we believed were the 10 most effective habits of a Project Manager (PM). At first I thought, “that’s easy”, and so I went about writing a whole list of things that I knew would make me a highly effective project manager. After I started putting my thoughts together, I realized how much I had on the list, but also how frequently I missed some of these small but crucial habits. When our PM team re-grouped to discuss what everyone had put in, it made me realize how I had missed some of the habits that they thought were highly effective to THEM. So collaboratively, we not only were able to combine all of our habits to create a comprehensive daily project checklist, but also reduce it down from 10 to top 9 Habits of Highly Effective Project Managers! And in true open source spirit, here they are for you to practice:
1. Invest in client relations
Establish yourself as our single point of contact & ensure the client has one, too
Research — find out about your clients and stakeholders, their business and industry, etc.
Build relationships — put in extra effort to create connections with the client
Show enthusiasm for their ideas — even if even if you disagree… hear them out and try to understand where they are coming from
Don’t assume anything! Ask for clarity if you don’t understand something
Keep written communication professional — remember, they might be shared
2. Manage expectations
Ensure client understands their responsibilities (feedback & deliverables) and their potential impact on timeline/budget
Manage the client as a resource. Hold them accountable and send them reminders if they have deliverables
Push back — consult your clients on best practices & trends. Tell them if you think something may hurt their business and why.
Always follow through on what you say!
Working with the Project Management team at ImageX has always been an easy and productive process. When we’ve had complicated projects, unexpected needs or near-impossible deadlines, they’ve been able to help keep things running smoothly and make sure our objectives get met.
-Bruce Stewart, Producer at Management Innovation eXchange
3. Structure projects appropriately
Establish milestones — short-term goals keep long-term projects on track
Structure work into weekly or bi-weekly sprints
Who? What? When? Task Assignment
Formalize releases — establish when a client gets to see/try things and work toward incremental delivery
QA through-out — acceptance criteria and ongoing testing
4. Stay up to date
Monitor time and budget daily
Check daily developer reports & look out for their roadblocks
Establish and maintain daily team check-ins
Set regular (weekly/bi-weekly) client check-in meetings
5. Involve your team
Plan out entire project with team when possible
Involve your team in sprint planning
Ensure your team accepts tasks & estimates
Check with your team for any pressing questions/concerns before the client check-in
Ensure they have what they need to complete tasks
Don’t forget to report back — share client feedback with your team
6. Document meetings and decisions
Take excellent client meeting minutes to ensure you capture critical decisions, statements and action required… ensure your documentation would be tight enough to cover you if there were ever to be a legal dispute
Schedule gaps between meetings (no back-to-back) to give time to digest meeting outcomes
Solicit client feedback on minutes, but assume acceptance
Post minutes to the common forum where all the communications are kept ideally within a day (by end of day is best)
Establish clear action items, track & follow up!
Don’t forget to document relevant internal meeting minutes
7. Report!
Provide a weekly progress report to the client
Review progress at client check-ins
Keep capacity planning tool updated weekly to ensure everyone is fully utilized, maximizing company productivity
Keep project brief updated with latest documents on any updated contracts, etc
Provide weekly reports to your supervisor, keep them in the loop
8. Manage change
No surprises — communicate early & often
Analyze impact of changes and adapt project deliverables & schedule as necessary
Protect scope & transfer creep to change orders
Don’t stick to original plan when there are opportunities to improve
Adjust schedule & priorities to minimize downtime & under-utilized resources
9. Keep improving
Learn how to use your technology such as creating your own blog post using Drupal admin to expereince what your clients might have to experience
Have regular Project Management group process meetings
Solidify estimation tools & techniques
Perform retrospective/post-mortem/lessons learned meetings on all projects
Measure budget success & failure for better estimation going forward
Proceed with side projects & process development in your spare time
There you have it. These are just some of the habits that our Project Management team practices daily and has stuck onto their walls. So how about you? How do you keep on top of your game as a PM? Share one of your highly effective habits that you practice as a PM. Or share something that you think a PM should always take into consideration when managing a web project.
Originally published at imagexmedia.com. Contact us for all of your Drupal needs.
|
2a283363-2730-560e-922d-526ad35874b3
|
25/08/2025 16:03:04
|
https://medium.com/@videorocky/ghana-baby-young-rob-ft-nabo-official-video-66d4aa4d3940
|
medium.com
|
GHANA BABY- Young Rob ft Nabo (Official Video)
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbgc3UnJP70&feature=youtu.be
|
Video Rocky
|
https://medium.com/@videorocky
|
66d4aa4d3940
| null |
0 min
|
2015-11-28T08:49:59.017000
|
2015-11-28T08:50:40.365000
|
2017-12-07T14:56:52.754000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Afro Beats
|
<section>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbgc3UnJP70&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbgc3UnJP70&feature=youtu.be</a></p>
<p>Download Link
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ghana-baby-feat.-nabo-single/id1031695669">https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/gha...</a>
GHANA BABY an Afro beat song produced by Yann Gabriel featuring NABO. The Video Directed by Kaay Difilmer was shot in London,Accra and Paris.</p>
</section>
|
GHANA BABY- Young Rob ft Nabo (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbgc3UnJP70&feature=youtu.be
Download Link
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/gha...
GHANA BABY an Afro beat song produced by Yann Gabriel featuring NABO. The Video Directed by Kaay Difilmer was shot in London,Accra and Paris.
|
6de8faea-442b-5489-92f2-9412ca5b7529
|
25/08/2025 16:03:05
|
https://medium.com/@knightmareblog/the-rise-of-pragmatism-1c202505d5b4
|
medium.com
|
The Rise of Pragmatism
|
Back in 2007 when I got into politics for the first time through the Ron Paul movement, ideology was still the primary factor driving the…
|
Knightmare
|
https://medium.com/@knightmareblog
|
1c202505d5b4
|
3 min
|
2017-08-28T16:55:07.368000
|
2017-08-28T16:55:57.923000
|
2017-08-28T16:55:58.695000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Politics,Trump,Free Speech,Migrant Crisis,Identity Politics
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1920/1*hy9ZugeI-okuF9lbIvO9Bw.jpeg" width="1920" height="1238" loading="lazy" />
<p>Back in 2007 when I got into politics for the first time through the Ron Paul movement, ideology was still the primary factor driving the political scene. Individualism, collectivism, Keynesianism, the Austrian School, big government, small government. Such labels meant something and they separated believers into neatly defined categories. Today with Trump we are currently in a sort of post-ideological state. I won’t call it the end of ideology, we can all see what happened to Fukuyama’s “The End of History”. It didn’t work out according to the theory, reality is a bitch like that.</p>
<p>For practical purposes Trump represents the ascendancy of pragmatism. I’m annoyed, irritated, angry and so on over the fact that Trump lacks a clear ideology. No, “America First” doesn’t fit the bill. Especially when Trump flip-flops on personnel, firing nationalists and elevating globalists. Pragmatism has its virtues, but it also has clear downsides. The direction you move the country in on one issue can be directly counterproductive when it comes to other issues. Although responsible for much suffering over the last century, ideologies are clear, consistent and somewhat logical “packages” of ideas that move society in a unified direction. The morality of that direction isn’t the issue here, we are all familiar with the death, destruction and torment caused by ideologies gone rogue.</p>
<p>When it comes to issues like free speech, the almost total absence of principled thinking is striking. The left especially is guilty of this. They are going full steam ahead with their censorship efforts. I can’t remember a time when the violence used to suppress dissent was this blatant. We have seen it on the governmental side, but not on the civilian side. It is a sad testament to the state of things that one can’t walk down the sidewalk in America wearing a hat showing public support of the current leader of the country. Doing so is likely to attract physical and verbal harm.</p>
<p>The rise of white identity politics as a response to the conditions created by the left also signals the rise of pragmatism. The need for a white identity and for looking at political issues through a white lens speaks volumes about the state of the political debate. Multiculturalism and civic nationalism are bleeding at the altar of practicality. The simple response has been to adopt the tools and analytic methods utilized on the left, rather than fighting identity politics as an ideology. The pragmatic path is proving attractive all across the political spectrum.</p>
<p>We also see this inside the bubble of mainstream acceptability within the Overton window. The run of the mill political parties have for the most part abandoned ideologies and grand political visions in favor of squabbling over minute details about bland political issues. All these trends play a part in the side-lining of libertarianism. Talking about economic theory doesn’t feel relevant to the cultural warfare going on all around us. The practical political issues have overtaken the theoretical issues we used to fight over. This can be a force for both good and evil.</p>
<p>The West today is in rapid decline. The connection to our heritage and values has nearly been completely severed in favor of hedonistic indulgence of short time preference pleasure and status seeking. I view this as an expression of the ascendancy of pragmatism. We focus on the concrete and immediate, not on the generational political shifts steering our civilization over a cliff. At the same time, it is tempting to say that the decline of the grand sweeping political ideologies of the past has meant peace and safety. After all hundreds of millions of lives have fallen prey to them in the past, if that can be avoided in the present, surely this must be good. That is when we must look closely at the very real dangers of pragmatism as well. The European Migrant Crisis is such a calamity. Unless you’re overly conspiratorial, the mess we find ourselves in is the result of short-sighted pragmatic thinking by virtue signalling bleeding heart European politicians, not thinking sufficiently through the long-term consequences of their folly.</p>
</section>
|
The Rise of Pragmatism
Back in 2007 when I got into politics for the first time through the Ron Paul movement, ideology was still the primary factor driving the political scene. Individualism, collectivism, Keynesianism, the Austrian School, big government, small government. Such labels meant something and they separated believers into neatly defined categories. Today with Trump we are currently in a sort of post-ideological state. I won’t call it the end of ideology, we can all see what happened to Fukuyama’s “The End of History”. It didn’t work out according to the theory, reality is a bitch like that.
For practical purposes Trump represents the ascendancy of pragmatism. I’m annoyed, irritated, angry and so on over the fact that Trump lacks a clear ideology. No, “America First” doesn’t fit the bill. Especially when Trump flip-flops on personnel, firing nationalists and elevating globalists. Pragmatism has its virtues, but it also has clear downsides. The direction you move the country in on one issue can be directly counterproductive when it comes to other issues. Although responsible for much suffering over the last century, ideologies are clear, consistent and somewhat logical “packages” of ideas that move society in a unified direction. The morality of that direction isn’t the issue here, we are all familiar with the death, destruction and torment caused by ideologies gone rogue.
When it comes to issues like free speech, the almost total absence of principled thinking is striking. The left especially is guilty of this. They are going full steam ahead with their censorship efforts. I can’t remember a time when the violence used to suppress dissent was this blatant. We have seen it on the governmental side, but not on the civilian side. It is a sad testament to the state of things that one can’t walk down the sidewalk in America wearing a hat showing public support of the current leader of the country. Doing so is likely to attract physical and verbal harm.
The rise of white identity politics as a response to the conditions created by the left also signals the rise of pragmatism. The need for a white identity and for looking at political issues through a white lens speaks volumes about the state of the political debate. Multiculturalism and civic nationalism are bleeding at the altar of practicality. The simple response has been to adopt the tools and analytic methods utilized on the left, rather than fighting identity politics as an ideology. The pragmatic path is proving attractive all across the political spectrum.
We also see this inside the bubble of mainstream acceptability within the Overton window. The run of the mill political parties have for the most part abandoned ideologies and grand political visions in favor of squabbling over minute details about bland political issues. All these trends play a part in the side-lining of libertarianism. Talking about economic theory doesn’t feel relevant to the cultural warfare going on all around us. The practical political issues have overtaken the theoretical issues we used to fight over. This can be a force for both good and evil.
The West today is in rapid decline. The connection to our heritage and values has nearly been completely severed in favor of hedonistic indulgence of short time preference pleasure and status seeking. I view this as an expression of the ascendancy of pragmatism. We focus on the concrete and immediate, not on the generational political shifts steering our civilization over a cliff. At the same time, it is tempting to say that the decline of the grand sweeping political ideologies of the past has meant peace and safety. After all hundreds of millions of lives have fallen prey to them in the past, if that can be avoided in the present, surely this must be good. That is when we must look closely at the very real dangers of pragmatism as well. The European Migrant Crisis is such a calamity. Unless you’re overly conspiratorial, the mess we find ourselves in is the result of short-sighted pragmatic thinking by virtue signalling bleeding heart European politicians, not thinking sufficiently through the long-term consequences of their folly.
|
bd609276-6bbe-536b-8788-7a4120a1744c
|
25/08/2025 16:03:05
|
|
https://medium.com/@vickioneill/3-ways-to-re-purpose-content-in-marketing-7e3e1ec82fa2
|
medium.com
|
3 Ways to Re-Purpose Content in Marketing
|
There are all kinds of ways you can re-purpose your content!
|
Vicki O’Neill
|
https://medium.com/@vickioneill
|
7e3e1ec82fa2
|
3 min
|
2020-07-03T13:06:36.744000
|
2020-06-05T04:00:00
|
2021-12-14T18:15:18.212000
| 0 | 72 |
en
|
Marketing Strategies,Business Growth,Content Marketing,Content Strategy,Digital Marketing
|
<section>
<p>There are all kinds of ways you can re-purpose your content!</p>
<p>The good news is that when you create valuable content, like a blog post for example, and share it once you publish it, that publish action doesn’t mean the end of the time you invested.</p>
<p>Imagine a world where you create a really long blog post with stats, quotes, images and maybe even a video. You share it on your social platforms and you get little engagement. (I go into more details <a href="https://youtu.be/399p_tYvRrw">in this video</a>).</p>
<p>Maybe the post was too long or maybe people need time to absorb it before they comment or share.</p>
<p>And that’s OK.</p>
<p>But if you’re like me with all kinds of ‘to do’s’ on your daily list, you’re likely going to forget about going back to comment or share it, right?</p>
<p>We all need reminders — and when you remind those who saw it the first time, you’re likely going to catch some new eyeballs in the process.</p>
<p>What to do…..what to do…..</p>
<p>How about not just reposting the example same comment and link to the original! But take a snippet from an interesting stat or intriguing perspective from blog post, for example, and create an image or use a screen shot, and share it in a new post. See what new and different dialog you can generate from this angle.</p>
<p>Guess what? You can repeatedly do this with the same blog post using different snippets from it and posting on the various channels where your target audience is spending time.</p>
<p>Sounds great, right?! Awesome.</p>
<p>Now, this video I mention 3 easy ways to re-purpose content — and show an example. Here are the 3 ways:</p>
<p>Use a snippet from a blog post and re-purpose as new content with a call-to-action (CTA) a link to the original post (if one of your goals is to increase website traffic, this is a great strategy to achieve it).</p>
<p>Find reviews, comments, etc. from your target audience that you can use as user-generated content. Prospects and customers would rather see others like them using your solutions than for you to tell them to use it. The CTA could be to a page on your website or Google reviews to ‘see what others like this person have to say about our solutions’. These are also a great resource for driving revenue to buy an online course or or attend a webinar (pre-cursor to the course, perhaps).</p>
<p>Embed video or content from one platform to another. An example is embedding my YouTube video into this blog post or re-purposing the content from this blog post as a new article on Medium.</p>
<p>BONUS — Use non-gated content from your website and create a document to use on LinkedIn and keep it in your Featured section. This type of post on LinkedIn generated more views and engagement because it’s relevant and easy to digest.</p>
<p>Now, share with me what type of content you re-purpose and how well it works for you. Let me know in the comments below or tag me on your favorite social media platform!</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/850/1*0VXmYoaqDH2Q0mU9iyiHJg.jpeg" width="850" height="875" loading="lazy" />
<p><em>Vicki O’Neill is a fractional CMO in Ohio who helps small businesses go from plateau to grow. The problem she solves for small business owners is visibility resulting from lack of relevant marketing and engagement with the target customer. She founded KenKay Marketing in 2011, started the marketing and sales podcast, , in 2018 and launched a 2nd podcast, in 2019 with her Gen Z daughters. Connect with Vicki on social media wherever you spend the most time. Subscribe to the</em></p>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://www.vickioneill.com/post/3-</em>ways-to-re-purpose-content-in-marketing">https://www.vickioneill.com</a> on June 5, 2020.</p>
</section>
|
3 Ways to Re-Purpose Content in Marketing
There are all kinds of ways you can re-purpose your content!
The good news is that when you create valuable content, like a blog post for example, and share it once you publish it, that publish action doesn’t mean the end of the time you invested.
Imagine a world where you create a really long blog post with stats, quotes, images and maybe even a video. You share it on your social platforms and you get little engagement. (I go into more details in this video).
Maybe the post was too long or maybe people need time to absorb it before they comment or share.
And that’s OK.
But if you’re like me with all kinds of ‘to do’s’ on your daily list, you’re likely going to forget about going back to comment or share it, right?
We all need reminders — and when you remind those who saw it the first time, you’re likely going to catch some new eyeballs in the process.
What to do…..what to do…..
How about not just reposting the example same comment and link to the original! But take a snippet from an interesting stat or intriguing perspective from blog post, for example, and create an image or use a screen shot, and share it in a new post. See what new and different dialog you can generate from this angle.
Guess what? You can repeatedly do this with the same blog post using different snippets from it and posting on the various channels where your target audience is spending time.
Sounds great, right?! Awesome.
Now, this video I mention 3 easy ways to re-purpose content — and show an example. Here are the 3 ways:
Use a snippet from a blog post and re-purpose as new content with a call-to-action (CTA) a link to the original post (if one of your goals is to increase website traffic, this is a great strategy to achieve it).
Find reviews, comments, etc. from your target audience that you can use as user-generated content. Prospects and customers would rather see others like them using your solutions than for you to tell them to use it. The CTA could be to a page on your website or Google reviews to ‘see what others like this person have to say about our solutions’. These are also a great resource for driving revenue to buy an online course or or attend a webinar (pre-cursor to the course, perhaps).
Embed video or content from one platform to another. An example is embedding my YouTube video into this blog post or re-purposing the content from this blog post as a new article on Medium.
BONUS — Use non-gated content from your website and create a document to use on LinkedIn and keep it in your Featured section. This type of post on LinkedIn generated more views and engagement because it’s relevant and easy to digest.
Now, share with me what type of content you re-purpose and how well it works for you. Let me know in the comments below or tag me on your favorite social media platform!
Vicki O’Neill is a fractional CMO in Ohio who helps small businesses go from plateau to grow. The problem she solves for small business owners is visibility resulting from lack of relevant marketing and engagement with the target customer. She founded KenKay Marketing in 2011, started the marketing and sales podcast, , in 2018 and launched a 2nd podcast, in 2019 with her Gen Z daughters. Connect with Vicki on social media wherever you spend the most time. Subscribe to the
Originally published at https://www.vickioneill.com on June 5, 2020.
|
4b4180cd-2f06-5533-ad72-886fcefb262d
|
25/08/2025 16:03:05
|
|
https://sstechsolutions.medium.com/it-services-help-with-digital-transformation-sstech-system-d576c81082ff
|
medium.com
|
IT Services Help with Digital Transformation | SSTech System
|
IT services play a crucial role in enabling and accelerating digital transformation for businesses. They provide a wide range of expertise…
|
William Anderson
|
https://medium.com/@sstechsolutions
|
d576c81082ff
|
3 min
|
2023-12-13T05:01:19.777000
|
2023-12-13T05:36:59.320000
|
2023-12-14T05:30:01.998000
| 0 | 13 |
en
|
Digital Transformation,It Services,Sstech System,Cybersecurity,Software Development
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1500/1*7ElEi4k0Qrmvdgvgx-Z_Zg.png" width="1500" height="835" loading="lazy" />
<p>IT services play a crucial role in enabling and accelerating <strong><a href="https://www.sstechsystem.com</strong>/">digital transformation for businesses</a>. They provide a wide range of expertise and support that can help organizations navigate the complex process of change and achieve their desired outcomes.</p>
<h1><strong>Here are some key ways IT services can help with digital transformation:</strong></h1>
<p><strong>Technology Infrastructure Management:</strong></p>
<p>IT services can help organizations modernize and optimize their technology infrastructure. This includes upgrading hardware, implementing cloud solutions, and adopting virtualization to enhance scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency.</p>
<p><strong>2. Cloud Computing Services:</strong></p>
<p>Leveraging cloud computing services allows organizations to access scalable and flexible resources on-demand. IT services can assist in migrating applications and data to the cloud, ensuring security, compliance, and efficient utilization of cloud resources.</p>
<p><strong>3. Data Analytics and Business Intelligence:</strong></p>
<p>IT services can help organizations harness the power of data by implementing analytics and business intelligence solutions. This enables data-driven decision-making, predictive analysis, and insights that contribute to strategic planning and innovation.</p>
<p><strong>4. Integration and Interoperability:</strong></p>
<p>IT services facilitate the integration of diverse systems and applications within an organization. This ensures seamless data flow and communication across different departments, improving operational efficiency and enabling a more connected ecosystem.</p>
<p><strong>5. Cybersecurity Solutions:</strong></p>
<p>As organizations digitize their operations, the need for robust cybersecurity becomes critical. IT services play a vital role in implementing cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data, maintain compliance, and safeguard against cyber threats.</p>
<p><strong>6. Custom Software Development:</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.sstechsystem.co</strong>m/services/website-development-company/">Custom software development services</a> can create tailored solutions to address specific business needs. This might involve developing applications, platforms, or interfaces that enhance business processes, customer experiences, or internal collaboration.</p>
<p><strong>7. Mobile App Development:</strong></p>
<p>With the increasing use of mobile devices, IT services can help organizations develop <strong><a href="https://ww</strong>w.sstechsystem.com/services/mobile-app-development/">mobile applications</a> that improve customer engagement, employee productivity, and overall accessibility.</p>
<p><strong>8. Collaboration Tools and Communication Platforms:</strong></p>
<p>Implementing collaboration tools and communication platforms helps organizations foster a culture of collaboration and enables remote work. IT services can set up and support tools like video conferencing, project management, and messaging platforms.</p>
<p><strong>9. Automation and AI Integration:</strong></p>
<p>IT services can assist in identifying opportunities for automation and integrating <strong><a href="https://www.sstechsystem.com/</strong>services/react-js-development/">artificial intelligence (AI) solutions</a>. Automation streamlines repetitive tasks, while AI enhances decision-making processes and provides innovative solutions.</p>
<p><strong>10. User Experience (UX) Design:</strong></p>
<p>Improving the user experience is a key aspect of digital transformation. IT services can contribute by designing user-friendly interfaces for applications and websites, ensuring a positive and efficient interaction with digital tools.</p>
<p><strong>11. Training and Change Management:</strong></p>
<p>IT services play a role in training employees on new technologies and processes. Change management strategies are essential to ensure a smooth transition during digital transformation initiatives.</p>
<h2><strong>Benefits of using IT services for digital transformation:</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Access to expertise:</strong> IT services have the expertise and experience necessary to help you navigate the complex process of digital transformation.</li>
<li><strong>Faster time to value: </strong>They can help you quickly implement new technologies and processes, accelerating your time to value.</li>
<li><strong>Reduced risk:</strong> They can help you mitigate the risks associated with digital transformation, such as security breaches and project failure.</li>
<li><strong>Scalability and flexibility:</strong> They can provide the scalability and flexibility you need to adapt to changing market conditions and business requirements.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/900/1*nqGsTUvORbPtsyLQMWI7mA.png" width="900" height="300" loading="lazy" />
<p>Overall, IT services play a critical role in helping businesses achieve their digital transformation goals. By providing the right combination of expertise, technology, and support, they can help organizations optimize their operations, improve their customer experience, and drive innovation and growth.</p>
<p><strong>📞 C<a href="https:/</strong>/www.sstechsystem.com/contact-us/">ontact us today </a>for a consultation.</p>
<p><strong>Let’s Connect!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href</strong>="https://www.sstechsystem.com/">Website</a></li>
<li><strong><a h</strong>ref="https://www.sstechsystem.com/blog/">Blog</a></li>
<li><strong>Social Media:</strong> <strong><a href=</strong>"https://www.linkedin.com/company/sstech-system/">Linkedin</a>, <strong><a href=</strong>"https://www.facebook.com/sstechsys/">Facebook</a>, <strong><a href</strong>="https://twitter.com/sstech_system">Twitter</a></li>
</ul>
<p>I hope this article has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.</p>
</section>
|
IT Services Help with Digital Transformation | SSTech System
IT services play a crucial role in enabling and accelerating digital transformation for businesses. They provide a wide range of expertise and support that can help organizations navigate the complex process of change and achieve their desired outcomes.
Here are some key ways IT services can help with digital transformation:
Technology Infrastructure Management:
IT services can help organizations modernize and optimize their technology infrastructure. This includes upgrading hardware, implementing cloud solutions, and adopting virtualization to enhance scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency.
2. Cloud Computing Services:
Leveraging cloud computing services allows organizations to access scalable and flexible resources on-demand. IT services can assist in migrating applications and data to the cloud, ensuring security, compliance, and efficient utilization of cloud resources.
3. Data Analytics and Business Intelligence:
IT services can help organizations harness the power of data by implementing analytics and business intelligence solutions. This enables data-driven decision-making, predictive analysis, and insights that contribute to strategic planning and innovation.
4. Integration and Interoperability:
IT services facilitate the integration of diverse systems and applications within an organization. This ensures seamless data flow and communication across different departments, improving operational efficiency and enabling a more connected ecosystem.
5. Cybersecurity Solutions:
As organizations digitize their operations, the need for robust cybersecurity becomes critical. IT services play a vital role in implementing cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data, maintain compliance, and safeguard against cyber threats.
6. Custom Software Development:
Custom software development services can create tailored solutions to address specific business needs. This might involve developing applications, platforms, or interfaces that enhance business processes, customer experiences, or internal collaboration.
7. Mobile App Development:
With the increasing use of mobile devices, IT services can help organizations develop mobile applications that improve customer engagement, employee productivity, and overall accessibility.
8. Collaboration Tools and Communication Platforms:
Implementing collaboration tools and communication platforms helps organizations foster a culture of collaboration and enables remote work. IT services can set up and support tools like video conferencing, project management, and messaging platforms.
9. Automation and AI Integration:
IT services can assist in identifying opportunities for automation and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Automation streamlines repetitive tasks, while AI enhances decision-making processes and provides innovative solutions.
10. User Experience (UX) Design:
Improving the user experience is a key aspect of digital transformation. IT services can contribute by designing user-friendly interfaces for applications and websites, ensuring a positive and efficient interaction with digital tools.
11. Training and Change Management:
IT services play a role in training employees on new technologies and processes. Change management strategies are essential to ensure a smooth transition during digital transformation initiatives.
Benefits of using IT services for digital transformation:
Access to expertise: IT services have the expertise and experience necessary to help you navigate the complex process of digital transformation.
Faster time to value: They can help you quickly implement new technologies and processes, accelerating your time to value.
Reduced risk: They can help you mitigate the risks associated with digital transformation, such as security breaches and project failure.
Scalability and flexibility: They can provide the scalability and flexibility you need to adapt to changing market conditions and business requirements.
Contact Us
Overall, IT services play a critical role in helping businesses achieve their digital transformation goals. By providing the right combination of expertise, technology, and support, they can help organizations optimize their operations, improve their customer experience, and drive innovation and growth.
📞 Contact us today for a consultation.
Let’s Connect!
Website
Blog
Social Media: Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter
I hope this article has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
|
a0acba01-49a4-5f1c-832c-d78c1f871f16
|
25/08/2025 16:03:06
|
|
https://medium.com/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof/the-marlins-put-us-all-on-the-hook-ab52f4a2459b
|
medium.com
|
The Marlins Put Us All on the Hook
|
We are fish being reeled into the boat thrashing in an attempt to again flatten the COVID-19 curve. The Marlins have put us all on the…
|
Ari Betof
|
https://medium.com/@abetof
|
ab52f4a2459b
|
4 min
|
2020-07-27T19:21:15.854000
|
2020-07-28T22:06:15.527000
|
2021-12-15T09:56:24.240000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Covid-19,Baseball,Ari Betof
|
<section>
<p>Consider the irony of these two statements from July 26 and July 27:</p>
<blockquote><em>NFL players who contract the coronavirus through “high-risk” activity away from team facilities can face team discipline and might be at risk of not being paid, according to the league’s new protocol. (<a hr</em>ef="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29544799/nfl-players-attend-high-risk-events-contract-coronavirus-face-team-discipline-lack-pay">ESPN</a>)</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote><em>Some Marlins players texted each other about the team’s health issues before Sunday’s game, but there was no talk of declining to play, shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “That was never our mentality,” Rojas said. “We knew this could happen at some point. We came to the ballpark ready to play.” (<a href="https://</em>www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/phillies/miami-marlins-postpone-trip-home-amid-fear-of-virus-outbreak/2480689/">NBC Philadelphia</a>)</blockquote>
<p>I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still find myself in a state of disbelief. I can’t help it. The fact that the Miami Marlins decided to play a baseball game Sunday (and that MLB allowed the game to be played) after multiple positive COVID-19 tests is the clearest evidence yet that our current paradigm of mitigation efforts in the face of skyrocketing infection rates is not going to work.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/800/1*gvFDU-GCf2F2vNtji-pObw.jpeg" width="800" height="533" loading="lazy" />
<p>I can understand the mindset. As an athlete, we have all felt the drive to muscle through. What I don’t understand is the glaring lack of awareness paired with the absence of structures that would prevent exactly this situation playing out in the first series of a delayed season.</p>
<p>We know better in 2020 than to let a football player who has been hit in the head decide if he should go back into a game. Apparently that lesson does not carry over to community spread of COVID-19 inside a locker room.</p>
<p>More than 4,400,000 infected Americans and 151,000 dead has not been a clear enough picture. Empty stadiums are apparently not a clear enough picture. It seems likely that endless hallways of empty classrooms will not be a clear enough picture.</p>
<p>Michael Osterholm, Director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, described it best this morning on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tuesday-july-28-2020/id1222114325?i=1000486365432">NPR’s Morning Edition</a>:</p>
<blockquote>Right now we are experiencing a national forest fire of COVID that is readily consuming any human wood that is available.</blockquote>
<p>Not embers. Not a flare-up. We are finding ourselves in the middle of a raging forest fire and the Marlins have decided it is time to blindly put on their gloves and play. Apparently the Marlins were aspiring to be the pandemic equivalent of the 1965 football game between Mount Hermon and Deerfield Academy while Silliman Hall burned behind the bleachers.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2048/1*SZ-tXbeotyj9oZOJLrQiVA.jpeg" width="2048" height="1703" loading="lazy" />
<p>Among the numerous issues, every Marlins player put <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/philadelphia-phillies-didi-gregorius-kidney-disease-mask-coronavirus-20200715.html">Didi Gregorius</a> in danger when they decided to take the field yesterday against the Philadelphia Phillies because he has a chronic kidney disease. The vulnerability of a single player is only one of dozens (maybe hundreds) of reasons why the question of playing Sunday’s game should never have been in doubt. Whether any additional Marlins test positive — they already have — is not the question. Whether there is ultimately asymptotic spread to the Phillies or not is also not the question.</p>
<p>How can we expect financially strained employees to stay home if they feel ill? How can we expect parents to keep their children home while they wait 5–7 days for COVID-19 test results after their son or daughter has a fever?</p>
<p>We can’t even rely on the corporate greed of American professional sports to force necessary steps when they have a positive test in hand knowing it puts the entire remainder of the MLB season in jeopardy.</p>
<p>We know better in 2020 than to let a football player who has been hit in the head decide if he should go back into a game. Apparently that lesson does not carry over to community spread of COVID-19 inside a locker room. The Marlins inability to understand the moment paired with Major League Baseball’s unwillingness to put in place necessary safeguards to save players from themselves may have just snatch away the joy of watching baseball games while we are again forced to quarantine at home.</p>
<p>We are fish being reeled into the boat, helplessly thrashing around in a futile attempt to escape the reality of what it will take to again flatten the COVID-19 infection curve. The Marlins have put us all on the hook.</p>
<p>Ari Betof, Ed.D is president of <a href="https://www.orgsustainability.com/">Organizational Sustainability Consulting</a>. He is a nationally recognized expert in financial sustainability and organizational stewardship.</p>
<p>Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Ari has been a facilitator on numerous webinars as well as a panelist for<a href="/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof/thirty-one-membership-orgs-collaborate-to-help-independent-schools-on-the-brink-4c457c79c13"> Independent Schools on the Brink</a>, a collaborative webinar co-hosted by 33-member associations across the country. Ari was also a recent guest on EMA’s <a href="https://learn.enrollment.org/enrollment-spectrum-podcast/steps-to-financial-sustainability-in-a-time-of-covid-19-ep-53-april-20">Enrollment Spectrum podcast</a>. He is the author of the blog <a href="https://medium.com/org-sustainability-insights-by-ari-betof">Org Sustainability — Insight and Advice for Leaders that Change the World</a> and can be found on <a href="https://twitter.com/AriBetof?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Twitter at @AriBetof</a>.</p>
<p>Ari’s clients include independent schools, education sector membership associations, nonprofits, and private sector companies. He has served as an independent school trustee, head of school, director of institutional advancement, director of enrollment management, director of strategic planning, and faculty member. Ari has been an instructor in University of Pennsylvania’s PennGSE Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and Leadership Master’s Program. He has served as a mentor in Harvard University’s School Leadership Program, faculty member in the NAIS School Leadership Institute, and judge for the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards.</p>
</section>
|
The Marlins Put Us All on the Hook
Consider the irony of these two statements from July 26 and July 27:
NFL players who contract the coronavirus through “high-risk” activity away from team facilities can face team discipline and might be at risk of not being paid, according to the league’s new protocol. (ESPN)
and
Some Marlins players texted each other about the team’s health issues before Sunday’s game, but there was no talk of declining to play, shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “That was never our mentality,” Rojas said. “We knew this could happen at some point. We came to the ballpark ready to play.” (NBC Philadelphia)
I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still find myself in a state of disbelief. I can’t help it. The fact that the Miami Marlins decided to play a baseball game Sunday (and that MLB allowed the game to be played) after multiple positive COVID-19 tests is the clearest evidence yet that our current paradigm of mitigation efforts in the face of skyrocketing infection rates is not going to work.
Miami Marlins celebrate in close proximity during their opening series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Photo Credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images North America/TNS
I can understand the mindset. As an athlete, we have all felt the drive to muscle through. What I don’t understand is the glaring lack of awareness paired with the absence of structures that would prevent exactly this situation playing out in the first series of a delayed season.
We know better in 2020 than to let a football player who has been hit in the head decide if he should go back into a game. Apparently that lesson does not carry over to community spread of COVID-19 inside a locker room.
More than 4,400,000 infected Americans and 151,000 dead has not been a clear enough picture. Empty stadiums are apparently not a clear enough picture. It seems likely that endless hallways of empty classrooms will not be a clear enough picture.
Michael Osterholm, Director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, described it best this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition:
Right now we are experiencing a national forest fire of COVID that is readily consuming any human wood that is available.
Not embers. Not a flare-up. We are finding ourselves in the middle of a raging forest fire and the Marlins have decided it is time to blindly put on their gloves and play. Apparently the Marlins were aspiring to be the pandemic equivalent of the 1965 football game between Mount Hermon and Deerfield Academy while Silliman Hall burned behind the bleachers.
Photo credit: Robert S. Van Fleet/Associated Press
Among the numerous issues, every Marlins player put Didi Gregorius in danger when they decided to take the field yesterday against the Philadelphia Phillies because he has a chronic kidney disease. The vulnerability of a single player is only one of dozens (maybe hundreds) of reasons why the question of playing Sunday’s game should never have been in doubt. Whether any additional Marlins test positive — they already have — is not the question. Whether there is ultimately asymptotic spread to the Phillies or not is also not the question.
How can we expect financially strained employees to stay home if they feel ill? How can we expect parents to keep their children home while they wait 5–7 days for COVID-19 test results after their son or daughter has a fever?
We can’t even rely on the corporate greed of American professional sports to force necessary steps when they have a positive test in hand knowing it puts the entire remainder of the MLB season in jeopardy.
We know better in 2020 than to let a football player who has been hit in the head decide if he should go back into a game. Apparently that lesson does not carry over to community spread of COVID-19 inside a locker room. The Marlins inability to understand the moment paired with Major League Baseball’s unwillingness to put in place necessary safeguards to save players from themselves may have just snatch away the joy of watching baseball games while we are again forced to quarantine at home.
We are fish being reeled into the boat, helplessly thrashing around in a futile attempt to escape the reality of what it will take to again flatten the COVID-19 infection curve. The Marlins have put us all on the hook.
Ari Betof, Ed.D is president of Organizational Sustainability Consulting. He is a nationally recognized expert in financial sustainability and organizational stewardship.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Ari has been a facilitator on numerous webinars as well as a panelist for Independent Schools on the Brink, a collaborative webinar co-hosted by 33-member associations across the country. Ari was also a recent guest on EMA’s Enrollment Spectrum podcast. He is the author of the blog Org Sustainability — Insight and Advice for Leaders that Change the World and can be found on Twitter at @AriBetof.
Ari’s clients include independent schools, education sector membership associations, nonprofits, and private sector companies. He has served as an independent school trustee, head of school, director of institutional advancement, director of enrollment management, director of strategic planning, and faculty member. Ari has been an instructor in University of Pennsylvania’s PennGSE Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and Leadership Master’s Program. He has served as a mentor in Harvard University’s School Leadership Program, faculty member in the NAIS School Leadership Institute, and judge for the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards.
|
c98c84eb-2bd1-5c74-aff9-bf7e7fbeb88b
|
25/08/2025 16:03:06
|
|
https://medium.com/@daveguilas/killing-the-death-tax-should-be-part-of-tax-reform-f798b563fcef
|
medium.com
|
Killing the Death Tax Should Be Part of Tax Reform
|
Rodrigo Duterte may polarize Filipinos in terms of his war against drugs, alleged authoritarian tendencies, foreign policy emphasizing…
|
Dave Guilas
|
https://medium.com/@daveguilas
|
f798b563fcef
|
4 min
|
2017-10-16T23:33:31.239000
|
2017-10-17T05:26:21.192000
|
2017-10-18T18:41:52.252000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Politics,Economics,Business,Taxes,Tax Reform
|
<section>
<p>Rodrigo Duterte may polarize Filipinos in terms of his war against drugs, alleged authoritarian tendencies, foreign policy emphasizing closer relations with China but there is no doubt that there is an unanimous consensus that we need to overhaul the tax system. Citizens demand this in order to have higher take-home pay while government bureaucrats see this an opportunity to maximize collection of tax revenues for their usage on public projects.</p>
<p>As of this time of writing, the Department of Finance has passed its proposal of the first package (out of four) of tax reform to Congress. This particular package touts in income tax cuts for all classes except for the top bracket, excise tax on oil, extra tax on sugary drinks, lifting of certain VAT exemptions and higher automobile taxes. The Senate and House of Representatives have passed their own versions of the first tax reform package, both with modifications from the original DOF proposal. The next step then will be a bicameral conference wherein both Houses will make compromises and consensus to make the final version of the bill for the President to sign to law or veto it. You can check out a good overview of the details of first tax reform package that the Senate and House of Representatives passed at this <em>Rappler </em><a href="https://www.rappler.com/business/182876-tax-reform-bill-philippines-explainer-graphs">article</a>.</p>
<p>While there is really no opposition to the idea of overhauling the tax code, it’s in the details of the package that’s causing some skepticism among the citizenry. They say that the excise tax on oil and extra tax on sugary drinks are anti-poor because the lower classes spend a bigger part of their budget on food thus hurting their purchasing power. DOF made an counterargument by saying that the package will yield higher revenues in the long run. Recently, they made an implicit <a href="http://www.philstar.com/business/2017/10/03/1744876/senate-version-tax-reform-yield-p59.9-b">criticism</a> on the Senate version because it has a lower estimate of additional tax revenues than the House.</p>
<p>However, there is really lack of attention to the proposed reform on the estate tax. In this regard, Congress deserves to be praised for taking major steps forward. The House version proposes a flat 6% estate tax while the Senate version added exemptions on agricultural lands less than 3 hectares and properties worth Php 5 million and below together with the flat rate.</p>
<p>But things could be done much better. The best solution to this is the abolition of the estate tax.</p>
<p>The concept of the estate tax is that it’s a “tax on the rich” mechanism. For example, in the conception of its modern form in 1916 in the United States, politicians imposed this tax in order to prevent the concentration of wealth into the hands of the few. Back in those days, rich people primarily made their wealth through vast land holdings which then will be inherited by their family members. However, the economic realities of today have debunked this argument. The top 1% are known for having diversified sources of wealth and their reliance on passive income such as stocks and real estate in order to build their portfolio.</p>
<p>This resulted to rendering the estate tax as an ineffective source of revenue. According to <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=REVPHL">data</a> gathered by the OECD from 1999 to 2015, the tax has historically comprised a very small proportion of all tax revenues. From 2010–2015 when total tax revenues consistently hit the Php 1 trillion mark, estate tax revenues (refer to estate and inheritance taxes category) only ranged from Php 1.45 billion to Php 3.3 billion. That is not even close to comprising 1% of our tax revenues.</p>
<p>Most importantly, the estate tax is anti-business, specifically anti-small business. The effects of this tax should be seen on the lens of micro-enterprises which comprise of 89% of all businesses in the Philippines according to the <a href="http://www.dti.gov.ph/businesses/msmes/msme-resources/msme-statistics">Philippine Statistics Authority</a>. According to Section 3a of RA 9178, a micro-enterprise is defined as having assets less than Php 3 million excluding the land where the business operates. To demonstrate the harmful effects of this tax, let’s use an example. Linda owns a ready-to-wear store that caters to men, women and children’s wear. Upon her death, it was stated in her last will that the ownership of the store will be passed to her daughter Maria. The total asset value of the store is Php 2.5 million and Linda incurred no debt whatsoever. Therefore, Maria will have to pay estate tax to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In our legal parlance, estate tax is not a tax on the property itself but a tax on the privilege of transmitting property upon the death of the owner.</p>
<p>This is our current estate tax bracket as stated by BIR:</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/819/1*NvtsqLwxjE51lIA3H0itDw.png" width="819" height="460" loading="lazy" />
<p>To compute how much Maria will have to pay:</p>
<p>2,500,000–2,000,000 = 500,000</p>
<p>500,000 * 0.11 = 55,000</p>
<p>135,000 + 55, 000 = Php 190,000</p>
<p>Php 190,000</p>
<p>That money would have been better spent on renovations, equipment, getting new suppliers, hiring of new employees or even saving up for future long-term expansion. Essentially, the estate tax contributes to retardation of business capital as it represents lost opportunities for firms in using money to invest in their operations.</p>
<p>Speaking of the benefits of an estate tax repeal, the Heritage Foundation conducted a <a href="http://www.heritage.org/taxes/report/the-economic-and-fiscal-effects-eliminating-the-federal-death-tax">study</a> on the effects of the abolition of the estate tax at the federal level in the US. The study based its projections on a 2015–2024 time frame. Highlights of the study include:</p>
<ul>
<li>addition of nearly 18,000 jobs to the economy per annum</li>
<li>extra $2.64 billion per year on private fixed non-residential investment</li>
<li>additional $3.8 billion in consumer spending per year</li>
<li>extra $13.6 billion in effective real capital stock per annum</li>
</ul>
<p>One can hope that in the future, the Department of Finance or any member of Congress will conduct feasibility studies on the benefits of estate tax abolition and eventually propose the bill on the floor (or in the case of DOF, they will find a Congress member to endorse their study). The Duterte administration promised that tax reform will result to the benefit of all Filipinos. An abolition of the death tax will contribute to that.</p>
</section>
|
Killing the Death Tax Should Be Part of Tax Reform
Rodrigo Duterte may polarize Filipinos in terms of his war against drugs, alleged authoritarian tendencies, foreign policy emphasizing closer relations with China but there is no doubt that there is an unanimous consensus that we need to overhaul the tax system. Citizens demand this in order to have higher take-home pay while government bureaucrats see this an opportunity to maximize collection of tax revenues for their usage on public projects.
As of this time of writing, the Department of Finance has passed its proposal of the first package (out of four) of tax reform to Congress. This particular package touts in income tax cuts for all classes except for the top bracket, excise tax on oil, extra tax on sugary drinks, lifting of certain VAT exemptions and higher automobile taxes. The Senate and House of Representatives have passed their own versions of the first tax reform package, both with modifications from the original DOF proposal. The next step then will be a bicameral conference wherein both Houses will make compromises and consensus to make the final version of the bill for the President to sign to law or veto it. You can check out a good overview of the details of first tax reform package that the Senate and House of Representatives passed at this Rappler article.
While there is really no opposition to the idea of overhauling the tax code, it’s in the details of the package that’s causing some skepticism among the citizenry. They say that the excise tax on oil and extra tax on sugary drinks are anti-poor because the lower classes spend a bigger part of their budget on food thus hurting their purchasing power. DOF made an counterargument by saying that the package will yield higher revenues in the long run. Recently, they made an implicit criticism on the Senate version because it has a lower estimate of additional tax revenues than the House.
However, there is really lack of attention to the proposed reform on the estate tax. In this regard, Congress deserves to be praised for taking major steps forward. The House version proposes a flat 6% estate tax while the Senate version added exemptions on agricultural lands less than 3 hectares and properties worth Php 5 million and below together with the flat rate.
But things could be done much better. The best solution to this is the abolition of the estate tax.
The concept of the estate tax is that it’s a “tax on the rich” mechanism. For example, in the conception of its modern form in 1916 in the United States, politicians imposed this tax in order to prevent the concentration of wealth into the hands of the few. Back in those days, rich people primarily made their wealth through vast land holdings which then will be inherited by their family members. However, the economic realities of today have debunked this argument. The top 1% are known for having diversified sources of wealth and their reliance on passive income such as stocks and real estate in order to build their portfolio.
This resulted to rendering the estate tax as an ineffective source of revenue. According to data gathered by the OECD from 1999 to 2015, the tax has historically comprised a very small proportion of all tax revenues. From 2010–2015 when total tax revenues consistently hit the Php 1 trillion mark, estate tax revenues (refer to estate and inheritance taxes category) only ranged from Php 1.45 billion to Php 3.3 billion. That is not even close to comprising 1% of our tax revenues.
Most importantly, the estate tax is anti-business, specifically anti-small business. The effects of this tax should be seen on the lens of micro-enterprises which comprise of 89% of all businesses in the Philippines according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. According to Section 3a of RA 9178, a micro-enterprise is defined as having assets less than Php 3 million excluding the land where the business operates. To demonstrate the harmful effects of this tax, let’s use an example. Linda owns a ready-to-wear store that caters to men, women and children’s wear. Upon her death, it was stated in her last will that the ownership of the store will be passed to her daughter Maria. The total asset value of the store is Php 2.5 million and Linda incurred no debt whatsoever. Therefore, Maria will have to pay estate tax to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In our legal parlance, estate tax is not a tax on the property itself but a tax on the privilege of transmitting property upon the death of the owner.
This is our current estate tax bracket as stated by BIR:
Source: https://www.bir.gov.ph/index.php/tax-information/estate-tax.html
To compute how much Maria will have to pay:
2,500,000–2,000,000 = 500,000
500,000 * 0.11 = 55,000
135,000 + 55, 000 = Php 190,000
Php 190,000
That money would have been better spent on renovations, equipment, getting new suppliers, hiring of new employees or even saving up for future long-term expansion. Essentially, the estate tax contributes to retardation of business capital as it represents lost opportunities for firms in using money to invest in their operations.
Speaking of the benefits of an estate tax repeal, the Heritage Foundation conducted a study on the effects of the abolition of the estate tax at the federal level in the US. The study based its projections on a 2015–2024 time frame. Highlights of the study include:
addition of nearly 18,000 jobs to the economy per annum
extra $2.64 billion per year on private fixed non-residential investment
additional $3.8 billion in consumer spending per year
extra $13.6 billion in effective real capital stock per annum
One can hope that in the future, the Department of Finance or any member of Congress will conduct feasibility studies on the benefits of estate tax abolition and eventually propose the bill on the floor (or in the case of DOF, they will find a Congress member to endorse their study). The Duterte administration promised that tax reform will result to the benefit of all Filipinos. An abolition of the death tax will contribute to that.
|
ae198df5-15ba-5e1f-84aa-138f5435709f
|
25/08/2025 16:03:06
|
|
https://medium.com/@bartoszmazurek/feedback-vs-feedback-start-form-delivery-54a45dcc51c7
|
medium.com
|
Feedback vs “feedback”. Start form delivery.
|
TL;DR
|
Bartosz Mazurek
|
https://medium.com/@bartoszmazurek
|
54a45dcc51c7
|
3 min
|
2016-12-22T08:34:45.689000
|
2017-01-09T11:40:17.477000
|
2018-02-04T10:14:43.623000
| 0 | 4 |
en
|
Agile,Leadership,Feedback,Human Resources,HR
|
<section>
<p><strong>TL;DR</strong></p>
<p>Feedback is not just conversation, it’s much more… It’s a key part of a healthy company culture. It’s the first pillar of agile; “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. It’s an engine to make people, teams, and companies grow. Treat it wisely and it brings you a lot of value. Not taking the time to give proper feedback to people can be very costly in the long run so this should not be treated lightly.</p>
<p><strong>Confession.</strong></p>
<p>I’m lucky because I’m working for a company which has implemented tools for 360 reviews. Every half a year we have this opportunity to do a health check of ourselves and get a different perspective of our actions and behaviors.</p>
<p>…. so I have this pleasure to review, prepare, and conduct 360 feedback sessions and despite the fact that I ❤ any kind of feedback, due to the ton of business trips, tight project deadlines and thousands of other excuses I fucked up this last feedback session.</p>
<p>Ok, maybe I didn’t screw it up so badly, but I delayed it by at least 2–3 months….</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1920/1*rs3USpWCEDqZtYC7Lo_u6w.jpeg" width="1920" height="1200" loading="lazy" />
<p>Because of my last “stumble”, I was adamant that this feedback session should be done awesome, “like a boss”.</p>
<p><strong>Penance</strong></p>
<p>In this feedback session I promised my team that this time it will be on time, but I thought that just being “on time” isn’t enough. So I decided to make it even more special, and more fun.</p>
<p>Below I’m going to describe the DIY steps of “The Epic Christmas Feedback Delivery”</p>
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Prepare a package.</p>
<p>Christmas Gift Package:</p>
<ul>
<li>Thank you cover — Pls thank your colleagues, you know that feedback isn’t an easy thing and you need take a lot of effort to write good feedback.</li>
<li>Pick an AWESOME feedback sentence. Laminate it so people can stick it around your colleague’s desk and to remember how awesome people are.</li>
<li>Feedback from the last 360 session, quality and quantity one 2016 Q1 — peers, manager, and self review</li>
<li>Feedback form current 360 session, quality and quantity one 2016 Q4 — peers, manager, and self review</li>
<li>Sweets — everyone loves sweets !!!</li>
<li>Bavaria — to chill during reading (Of course 0.0, according to polish law ;D)</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5312/1*qRS99xbEf6U7WbRbQoUSow.jpeg" width="5312" height="2988" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Wrap up everything, if you don’t have manual skills ask someone to help you. In my case I asked Karolia, my colleague form HR department. THX A LOT KAROLINA !!!!</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2988/1*aT2CxXMRCyLrwLNySF-UiQ.jpeg" width="2988" height="5312" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Stept 3:</strong> Be hipster and take a picture of all the hard work :)</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5312/1*NZYtIT2ZSnHHnqbTvIUY9g.jpeg" width="5312" height="2988" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Stept 4:</strong> Be Santa and deliver feedback to your guys !</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5312/1*-d9_FCZIXgFDm0PIFvgCpw.jpeg" width="5312" height="2988" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Step 5: </strong>Enjoy</p>
<p>RRemember, feedback is not just it’s not the only conversation, it’s much something more… It’s a key part of a healthy company culture. It’s the first pillar of agile; “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. It’s an engine to make people, teams, and companies grow. Treat it wisely and it brings you a lot of values. Not taking the time to give proper feedback to people can be very costly in the long run so this should not be treated lightly.And remember it’s a double edge sword if you omit them you can hear yourself very badly.</p>
<p>Big ❤ to Neil, Karolina, and RainbowSix team !!!!</p>
<p>Did you enjoy this post? If yes, please share it or/and give me a ❤. <strong>Every view, read, and recommendation is for me great praise and motivation.</strong></p>
<p>Do you want to read more about some other interesting stuff related to Agile, management, look <strong><a h</strong>ref="https://medium.com/@bartoszmazurek">HERE</a></p>
</section>
|
Feedback vs “feedback”. Start form delivery.
TL;DR
Feedback is not just conversation, it’s much more… It’s a key part of a healthy company culture. It’s the first pillar of agile; “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. It’s an engine to make people, teams, and companies grow. Treat it wisely and it brings you a lot of value. Not taking the time to give proper feedback to people can be very costly in the long run so this should not be treated lightly.
Confession.
I’m lucky because I’m working for a company which has implemented tools for 360 reviews. Every half a year we have this opportunity to do a health check of ourselves and get a different perspective of our actions and behaviors.
…. so I have this pleasure to review, prepare, and conduct 360 feedback sessions and despite the fact that I ❤ any kind of feedback, due to the ton of business trips, tight project deadlines and thousands of other excuses I fucked up this last feedback session.
Ok, maybe I didn’t screw it up so badly, but I delayed it by at least 2–3 months….
Because of my last “stumble”, I was adamant that this feedback session should be done awesome, “like a boss”.
Penance
In this feedback session I promised my team that this time it will be on time, but I thought that just being “on time” isn’t enough. So I decided to make it even more special, and more fun.
Below I’m going to describe the DIY steps of “The Epic Christmas Feedback Delivery”
Step 1: Prepare a package.
Christmas Gift Package:
Thank you cover — Pls thank your colleagues, you know that feedback isn’t an easy thing and you need take a lot of effort to write good feedback.
Pick an AWESOME feedback sentence. Laminate it so people can stick it around your colleague’s desk and to remember how awesome people are.
Feedback from the last 360 session, quality and quantity one 2016 Q1 — peers, manager, and self review
Feedback form current 360 session, quality and quantity one 2016 Q4 — peers, manager, and self review
Sweets — everyone loves sweets !!!
Bavaria — to chill during reading (Of course 0.0, according to polish law ;D)
Step 2: Wrap up everything, if you don’t have manual skills ask someone to help you. In my case I asked Karolia, my colleague form HR department. THX A LOT KAROLINA !!!!
Stept 3: Be hipster and take a picture of all the hard work :)
Stept 4: Be Santa and deliver feedback to your guys !
Step 5: Enjoy
RRemember, feedback is not just it’s not the only conversation, it’s much something more… It’s a key part of a healthy company culture. It’s the first pillar of agile; “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. It’s an engine to make people, teams, and companies grow. Treat it wisely and it brings you a lot of values. Not taking the time to give proper feedback to people can be very costly in the long run so this should not be treated lightly.And remember it’s a double edge sword if you omit them you can hear yourself very badly.
Big ❤ to Neil, Karolina, and RainbowSix team !!!!
Did you enjoy this post? If yes, please share it or/and give me a ❤. Every view, read, and recommendation is for me great praise and motivation.
Do you want to read more about some other interesting stuff related to Agile, management, look HERE
|
6ce8791c-f290-59c8-aba9-91755d6e8205
|
25/08/2025 16:03:06
|
|
https://medium.com/@ojolao/how-movements-like-metoo-can-address-marginalization-isolation-and-alienation-among-activists-20af04c0028
|
medium.com
|
How Movements Like #MeToo Can Address Marginalization, Isolation, and Alienation Among Activists
|
Bringing Our Bodies Back In
|
Omotayo Jolaosho
|
https://medium.com/@ojolao
|
20af04c0028
|
6 min
|
2018-01-28T03:57:14.344000
|
2018-02-01T04:59:37.039000
|
2018-10-04T20:16:12.786000
| 0 | 57 |
en
|
Feminism,Activism,BlackLivesMatter,Metoo,Body
|
<section>
<h3>Bringing Our Bodies Back In</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3648/1*BJWICsUotwQYIItIrFvjfw.jpeg" width="3648" height="1930" loading="lazy" />
<p>With the <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/mission/">Women’s March</a>, and <a href="http://justbeinc.wixsite.com/justbeinc/the-me-too-movement-c7cf">#MeToo</a> drawing gender-based activism to the fore in the US and across the globe, how can we foster the desired personal and societal transformations that usher in the more equitable world we proclaim? The truth is even movements that are committed to gender equity can stifle the participation of women and non-binary people on the basis of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/12/07/the-marginalized-voices-of-the-metoo-movement/?utm_term=.9908ab6368c8">race</a>, <a href="https://www.revealnews.org/blog/the-people-metoo-leaves-behind/">class</a>, and <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/some-members-of-the-lgbtq-community-feel-excluded-by-the-me-too-hashtag-its-a-reminder-of-how-important-inclusive-language-is-2953162">sexuality</a>, among other intersections of marginalization. They can be spaces of exclusion, physical and sexual violation, emotional coercion, isolation and alienation. Pathways to personal and societal transformation therefore merit our further deliberation. In 2010, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/693555">I had the privilege of working with members of Remmoho</a>, a group that was interrogating problematic gender dynamics within activist collectives in Johannesburg, South Africa. Their insights prove relevant for these challenges of building equitable, empowering and transformative activist practices.</p>
<p>Many Remmoho participants were active in a social movement that emerged in the early 2000s to contest neoliberal policies as these were taking hold in municipal and higher education governance. Remmoho also drew members from outside that movement. Problematic gender dynamics that spurred members’ activism included lack of representation in movement leadership. In reports, Remmoho noted how women constituted up to 90 percent of most mass meetings and marches, yet the predominance of their participation was hardly reflected in leadership. And activist meetings themselves were not welcoming spaces in many women’s views. In my interviews, a few women reported feeling physically intimidated in meetings. One was adamant in her refusal to attend another movement meeting. She described the one meeting she attended with another Remmoho member: “We were just sitting like this [arms crossed], we were sick and we were stressed because we’ve got something to say but we can’t. Those men they are bullies and they do whatever they think is right for them and as a woman, you don’t have a say in those meetings.” Others who felt comfortable speaking reported their contributions being derided and not being taken seriously. Such silencing and devaluation <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2016-10-13-00-feesmustfall-burns-queer-students">are not unique experiences</a> but are rooted in patriarchal mindsets that <a href="https://www.theroot.com/the-5-biggest-challenges-facing-blacklivesmatter-1790860771">remain pervasive in movements across the globe</a>.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1155/1*HCRv1FMB2kZ2bjLm7Aifyw.png" width="1155" height="630" loading="lazy" />
<p>Beyond meetings themselves, participating in public demonstrations made even more evident the disconnection of many activist campaigns from the day-to-day lives of impoverished black women. As one activist expressed it: “You go to a march, you go to a campaign and you fight for the rights of everyone. And then come back to your problems the fact that you are not working, and you have kids and you have family that is looking after you. And then those things are still there, looking at you. So there is that world and your world” (in <a href="https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/14627">Eriksson 2007, 114</a>).</p>
<p>Due to these frustrations, many women were skeptical of attempts at gender inclusion within their movement, since such attempts seemed only to reproduce women’s marginalization. They were not interested in “representational activism” (<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27649700?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">George 2007, 128</a>), that is, where an elite group (in this case men in a patriarchal system) sought to represent the interests of disempowered women participants. They sought alternatives to these problematic patterns of interaction that alienated them from their activism. To address these concerns, women activists started meeting among themselves, eventually forming Remmoho.</p>
<p>Together with a number of key facilitators, Remmoho members worked to create sessions where participants could freely discuss their daily lives, encompassing and extending beyond their activism, including their familial relationships, sexuality, and living conditions. They staked their survival on these different terms. Sexuality was an important theme in discussions because it directly affected women’s mobility in the world. As one facilitator noted, “if I am in charge of my body, I can see freedom . . . that doesn’t mean that patriarchy won’t hit me, obviously, but I have tools to deal with it. In the opposite way, [if I am not in charge of my body,] I can have all the theory here but I won’t have the mobility to use it.” Nomvula, a founding member of Remmoho, noted the transformation that came with discussing sexuality:</p>
<blockquote>the biggest concept that gave us a breakthrough was being the owners of our own bodies because we realized that as women we don’t own our bodies, we’re owned by the communities, we’re owned by children, we’re owned by mothers and sometimes by our in-laws… I think sexuality is key when you’re doing gender work because until someone knows how all these gender roles are actually constructed and what it means to me as an individual and as a woman in society you can’t really get a breakthrough.</blockquote>
<p>Remmoho’s interventions were thus rooted in women’s bodily reclamation as fundamental to promoting gender parity. Activists noted that conceptual interventions would only achieve limited gains because it is easy for people to pay lip service to the cause of gender equality without fundamentally transforming their perspectives or behavior<strong>.</strong> Transformation had to first engage the breathing, embodied individual through felt and lived experiences. Whereas other sessions were predominantly concerned with whether or not participants understood concepts, Remmoho’s sessions were concerned with how the women were feeling. These workshops drew upon sensory techniques that involved ritual, food sculpture, dance, and other embodied practices.</p>
<p>Rituals created material manifestations of the women’s cognitive and emotional processes and encouraged extensive testimony about women’s experiences, including of poverty, sexual violence, physical abuse, and other daily struggles. These rituals revalorized items, such as food, that women came in contact with in their everyday lives. During a three-day workshop, for example, water — the privatization of which had been cause for deprivation — became a reclaimed agent representing the energetic contributions of participants in the workshop. The women introduced themselves at the beginning of the workshop, discussing how they were feeling. As they did so, they drank water, holding a cup and contributing their energy to the water in it. They then poured this water into a bowl. Others did the same. “To have that bowl, that is all our energy, it’s not water from the municipality, it’s ours,” a facilitator elaborated. Over the course of the workshop, whenever the women had new ideas or a change in their understanding, they contributed water to the bowl. Every morning, once the facilitator arrived with the bowl, the women repeated the process over the course of the day. At the end of the workshop, the women carried the bowl outside, singing. They then poured out the water over soil to nourish new growth: “All our energy and all our new understanding . . . maybe it’s touching another woman, and maybe it’s permitting flowers to grow. It’s the individual and at the same time it’s the collective,” the facilitator explained.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1147/1*I_Qevkd4a4Obw5j0d_XB9g.png" width="1147" height="372" loading="lazy" />
<p>Another facilitator, a consultant with <a href="http://genderatwork.org/gender-action-learning/">Gender at Work</a>, contributed techniques focused on relaxation to Remmoho’s repertoire. She noted, “when people are more relaxed they can look deeper inside themselves” in order to honestly identify the sources of the challenges they face and propose sustainable solutions. Along these lines, Remmoho’s activities included overnight healing workshops and techniques from <a href="https://capacitar.org/">Capacitar</a>, such as tai chi, acupressure, visualization, breathing work, and hand and head massage, as well as other wellness modalities.</p>
<p>Such seemingly minute actions proved impactful not just for generating personal transformations but also for collective participation. A founding member recalled in an interview how, in its early attempts to get women into leadership positions, Remmoho members would meet right before the broader movement’s meetings to encourage each other and through such encouragement generate a sense of capability such that more women began taking on leadership roles in their broader social movement.</p>
<p>Although Remmoho itself was not perfect, no coalition can be, its choices are instructive for this cultural moment. By highlighting the primacy of embodied knowledge (through ritual, testimony, and bodywork), Remmoho’s practices ushered in a modality of activism that centered on marginalized people, was validating of their experiences, and responsive to their needs. Following Remmoho, we need to develop practices that address more intimate sites of encounter, including how fellow comrades relate with one another, as well as the bodily and emotional significance of activism. We need to recognize the authority of those we have too often left behind, whose strivings matter as political interventions in themselves. Their interventions involve not only the voicing of what may otherwise be silenced or undervalued but also, through such voicing, disrupting patterns of alienation and cultivating transformative ways of being in the world.</p>
<p><em>If you found this post insightful, please help more people discover it by </em>👏 a<em>nd sharing. To learn more about Remmoho, its members’ mobilization methodologies, and the backlash that ensued, check out my article in the current issue of S</em>igns,<em> A<strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/693555">wkward Activisms: Gender and Embodied Mobilization i</em>n a Post</strong>apartheid South African Social Movement.</a></p>
</section>
|
How Movements Like #MeToo Can Address Marginalization, Isolation, and Alienation Among Activists
Bringing Our Bodies Back In
stained glass window at Regina Mundi Church, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa
With the Women’s March, and #MeToo drawing gender-based activism to the fore in the US and across the globe, how can we foster the desired personal and societal transformations that usher in the more equitable world we proclaim? The truth is even movements that are committed to gender equity can stifle the participation of women and non-binary people on the basis of race, class, and sexuality, among other intersections of marginalization. They can be spaces of exclusion, physical and sexual violation, emotional coercion, isolation and alienation. Pathways to personal and societal transformation therefore merit our further deliberation. In 2010, I had the privilege of working with members of Remmoho, a group that was interrogating problematic gender dynamics within activist collectives in Johannesburg, South Africa. Their insights prove relevant for these challenges of building equitable, empowering and transformative activist practices.
Many Remmoho participants were active in a social movement that emerged in the early 2000s to contest neoliberal policies as these were taking hold in municipal and higher education governance. Remmoho also drew members from outside that movement. Problematic gender dynamics that spurred members’ activism included lack of representation in movement leadership. In reports, Remmoho noted how women constituted up to 90 percent of most mass meetings and marches, yet the predominance of their participation was hardly reflected in leadership. And activist meetings themselves were not welcoming spaces in many women’s views. In my interviews, a few women reported feeling physically intimidated in meetings. One was adamant in her refusal to attend another movement meeting. She described the one meeting she attended with another Remmoho member: “We were just sitting like this [arms crossed], we were sick and we were stressed because we’ve got something to say but we can’t. Those men they are bullies and they do whatever they think is right for them and as a woman, you don’t have a say in those meetings.” Others who felt comfortable speaking reported their contributions being derided and not being taken seriously. Such silencing and devaluation are not unique experiences but are rooted in patriarchal mindsets that remain pervasive in movements across the globe.
Beyond meetings themselves, participating in public demonstrations made even more evident the disconnection of many activist campaigns from the day-to-day lives of impoverished black women. As one activist expressed it: “You go to a march, you go to a campaign and you fight for the rights of everyone. And then come back to your problems the fact that you are not working, and you have kids and you have family that is looking after you. And then those things are still there, looking at you. So there is that world and your world” (in Eriksson 2007, 114).
Due to these frustrations, many women were skeptical of attempts at gender inclusion within their movement, since such attempts seemed only to reproduce women’s marginalization. They were not interested in “representational activism” (George 2007, 128), that is, where an elite group (in this case men in a patriarchal system) sought to represent the interests of disempowered women participants. They sought alternatives to these problematic patterns of interaction that alienated them from their activism. To address these concerns, women activists started meeting among themselves, eventually forming Remmoho.
Together with a number of key facilitators, Remmoho members worked to create sessions where participants could freely discuss their daily lives, encompassing and extending beyond their activism, including their familial relationships, sexuality, and living conditions. They staked their survival on these different terms. Sexuality was an important theme in discussions because it directly affected women’s mobility in the world. As one facilitator noted, “if I am in charge of my body, I can see freedom . . . that doesn’t mean that patriarchy won’t hit me, obviously, but I have tools to deal with it. In the opposite way, [if I am not in charge of my body,] I can have all the theory here but I won’t have the mobility to use it.” Nomvula, a founding member of Remmoho, noted the transformation that came with discussing sexuality:
the biggest concept that gave us a breakthrough was being the owners of our own bodies because we realized that as women we don’t own our bodies, we’re owned by the communities, we’re owned by children, we’re owned by mothers and sometimes by our in-laws… I think sexuality is key when you’re doing gender work because until someone knows how all these gender roles are actually constructed and what it means to me as an individual and as a woman in society you can’t really get a breakthrough.
Remmoho’s interventions were thus rooted in women’s bodily reclamation as fundamental to promoting gender parity. Activists noted that conceptual interventions would only achieve limited gains because it is easy for people to pay lip service to the cause of gender equality without fundamentally transforming their perspectives or behavior. Transformation had to first engage the breathing, embodied individual through felt and lived experiences. Whereas other sessions were predominantly concerned with whether or not participants understood concepts, Remmoho’s sessions were concerned with how the women were feeling. These workshops drew upon sensory techniques that involved ritual, food sculpture, dance, and other embodied practices.
Rituals created material manifestations of the women’s cognitive and emotional processes and encouraged extensive testimony about women’s experiences, including of poverty, sexual violence, physical abuse, and other daily struggles. These rituals revalorized items, such as food, that women came in contact with in their everyday lives. During a three-day workshop, for example, water — the privatization of which had been cause for deprivation — became a reclaimed agent representing the energetic contributions of participants in the workshop. The women introduced themselves at the beginning of the workshop, discussing how they were feeling. As they did so, they drank water, holding a cup and contributing their energy to the water in it. They then poured this water into a bowl. Others did the same. “To have that bowl, that is all our energy, it’s not water from the municipality, it’s ours,” a facilitator elaborated. Over the course of the workshop, whenever the women had new ideas or a change in their understanding, they contributed water to the bowl. Every morning, once the facilitator arrived with the bowl, the women repeated the process over the course of the day. At the end of the workshop, the women carried the bowl outside, singing. They then poured out the water over soil to nourish new growth: “All our energy and all our new understanding . . . maybe it’s touching another woman, and maybe it’s permitting flowers to grow. It’s the individual and at the same time it’s the collective,” the facilitator explained.
Another facilitator, a consultant with Gender at Work, contributed techniques focused on relaxation to Remmoho’s repertoire. She noted, “when people are more relaxed they can look deeper inside themselves” in order to honestly identify the sources of the challenges they face and propose sustainable solutions. Along these lines, Remmoho’s activities included overnight healing workshops and techniques from Capacitar, such as tai chi, acupressure, visualization, breathing work, and hand and head massage, as well as other wellness modalities.
Such seemingly minute actions proved impactful not just for generating personal transformations but also for collective participation. A founding member recalled in an interview how, in its early attempts to get women into leadership positions, Remmoho members would meet right before the broader movement’s meetings to encourage each other and through such encouragement generate a sense of capability such that more women began taking on leadership roles in their broader social movement.
Although Remmoho itself was not perfect, no coalition can be, its choices are instructive for this cultural moment. By highlighting the primacy of embodied knowledge (through ritual, testimony, and bodywork), Remmoho’s practices ushered in a modality of activism that centered on marginalized people, was validating of their experiences, and responsive to their needs. Following Remmoho, we need to develop practices that address more intimate sites of encounter, including how fellow comrades relate with one another, as well as the bodily and emotional significance of activism. We need to recognize the authority of those we have too often left behind, whose strivings matter as political interventions in themselves. Their interventions involve not only the voicing of what may otherwise be silenced or undervalued but also, through such voicing, disrupting patterns of alienation and cultivating transformative ways of being in the world.
If you found this post insightful, please help more people discover it by 👏 and sharing. To learn more about Remmoho, its members’ mobilization methodologies, and the backlash that ensued, check out my article in the current issue of Signs, Awkward Activisms: Gender and Embodied Mobilization in a Postapartheid South African Social Movement.
|
288db376-c8f8-58ec-b0dd-6c523ec35e24
|
25/08/2025 16:03:07
|
|
https://medium.com/the-art-of-the-bubble/can-money-fail-65ae2e47a09c
|
medium.com
|
Can Money Fail?
|
Understanding the Basics of Fiat Currency
|
Todd Mei, PhD
|
https://medium.com/@ToddMei
|
65ae2e47a09c
|
5 min
|
2022-10-05T02:03:17.655000
|
2022-10-05T02:29:41.233000
|
2022-10-05T02:29:53.325000
| 0 | 10 |
en
|
Money,Utility,Welfare Economics,Barter,Defi
|
<section>
<h3>Understanding the Basics of Fiat Currency</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3648/1*wo5y4q0c4CbtrA57FxQ-Ow.jpeg" width="3648" height="5472" loading="lazy" />
<p>It sounds rather absurd to think in this day and age that money can fail. The reason why it can has not only to do with marcoeconomics and finance, but basic economic relations (which macroeconomics and finance tend to overlook).</p>
<p>So let’s have a look at the issue of failure from the perspective of the philosophy of economics!</p>
<p>With economic systems, there are at least two kinds of failure. Both are a variation of <em>utility</em>.</p>
<h1><strong>(1) Utility as Functional</strong></h1>
<p>When features within an economic system prevent or inhibit the ability of institutions and transactors from exchanging goods, borrowing money, lending money, or providing services, then one can say there is a <em>functional failure</em>.</p>
<p>Functional failure can often include other factors that are not specifically economic. For example, F. A. Hayek alleges that in so-called socialist societies that try to engineer society in a specific way, such engineering prevents the exercise of rational capacities in individuals (i.e. trial and error) that can lead to innovation and the creation of value. (I say “so-called” because Hayek’s definition of socialism is narrow and <a href="https://www.philosophy2u.com/post/do-americans-have-a-word-for-socialism">does not represent socialism as such</a>.)</p>
<h2><strong>(2) Utility as Satisfaction</strong></h2>
<p>The more common notion of utility in economics has to do with the satisfaction of a transactor’s preferences, which can include both needs and desires.</p>
<p>If an economic system is inefficient in providing utility satisfaction, we can say it fails in being able to circulate wealth; and in doing this, we can say that without proper circulation of wealth, the vital processes of creativity and production (which rely on the use of wealth from other sectors of an economy) have failed.</p>
<p>An important note: if we expand the idea of utility to involve some notion of well-being (or welfare), we can also say that failure to satisfy preferences is really a failure at creating a better society in which the lives of its citizens reach an acceptable level of quality. An economic system, in that sense, would be inefficient. And this then overlaps with the first definition of utility as functional. (And then we can talk about morality and economics in terms of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6x14jAf_v8">utilitarianism</a>.)</p>
<h2><strong>Does Barter Fail?</strong></h2>
<p>I always like to point out that barter was <em><str</em>ong>not </strong>the first and most prominent form of trade for ancient and archaic societies:</p>
<p>“The way trust informs relations of exchange has been well argued by the likes of such political economists as Henry George and, more recently, by the anthropologist David Graeber. Both George and Graeber convincingly dispel the idea that barter was the most basic and original form of exchange between societies. George argues barter is really a form of trust that is extended over time within a society. That is, barter is really a form of credit.” (For more on this, click <a href="http://australianhumanitiesreview.org/2020/05/31/cryptocurrency-kneeling-before-speculation/">here</a>.)</p>
<p>Apart from that, we can say that barter might fail according to definition (2), since it can be cumbersome to find people with the goods you want and who want what you have.</p>
<p>Having said that, such a failure does not mean it ceases to exist or ceases to be used.</p>
<p>Economic behavior tends to follow the path of least resistance (in view of the goals one has). So barter would simply recede from the scene as a form of trade, but it might very well come back in certain instances — e.g. people want to avoid tax consequences and simply swap goods on the spot.</p>
<h2><strong>Money</strong></h2>
<p>Money can fail in sense (2) [utility as satisfaction] when a currency is devalued (and does not allow one to acquire what one might have had, had the currency not been devalued), prohibited (sanctioned), or not wanted (someone simply does not trust the currency as a store of value).</p>
<p>More interestingly (at least for me), money can fail in sense (1) [utility as functional] when the flow and circulation of money is controlled in such a way that it favors a small percentage of the population.</p>
<p>In other words, central banks, governments, and financial-related institutions create structures and procedures that prevent freer access to money. This occurs most explicitly in how banks lend money. The rich are greatly advantaged by the current system since they have financial standing and can get large loans at very low interest rates. This sum can then be invested with a return above the interest rate of the loan. It’s basically free money to use to make more money.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5066/1*3N0DbnzTLYg4HVngESIgig.jpeg" width="5066" height="3377" loading="lazy" />
<p>Less explicitly, the entire system can be geared for sustaining an economy that simply creates a situation that is depressive for most people, yet seen to be the normal state of affairs. Here’s an interesting take by <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/curse-financial-entrepreneurship?fbclid=IwAR3MyQm9VBGHf_aJtaDxf9oLHmmZ3ooziE4VuXfM3LLevnkZxmuf-3zZrko&s=r">Robert Reich</a> on how decades of financial policies led to some significant past and recent problems:</p>
<p>“[T]he dominance of finance over much of the American economy since 1980 didn’t happen by accident. It needed the help of politicians — including presidents (both Republican and Democrat) — who changed laws and regulations to encourage it. . . .</p>
<p>When the financial bubble inevitably burst, Barack Obama endorsed the Bush administration’s Wall Street bailout and appointed many of the same team of Clinton-era economic advisors who, while working under Rubin in the 1990s, had laid the groundwork for the financial crisis by encouraging speculation. Obama did what they then recommended: restore the profitability of Wall Street banks rather than reduce the power of finance and help millions of Americans who lost their homes.”</p>
<p>There are other ways in which money can fail in sense (1), but as a way of closing, I’d just like to mention that <a href="https://davidutsler.com/2022/01/07/bollocks-and-the-blockchain/">the promise of blockchain technology and decentralized finance</a> is to provide everyone with easier access to money. There are significant challenges, such as rectifying the need for over-collateralization. My colleague Sebastian Purcell points out more of the challenges in <a href="https://www.quora.com/How-will-decentralized-finance-DeFi-change-traditional-banking/answer/L-Sebastian-Purcell-PhD">a blog from March 2022</a>.</p>
<p>So the DeFi promise is still far off, and cryptocurrency is still very much a speculative venture in both financial and practical senses. It needs to be more user-friendly and more widely accepted; but also, as my venture capitalist colleague <a href="https://www.philosophy2u.com/podcast/episode/73d0bcc5/arvind-gupta-on-improving-the-world-through-venture-capitalism">Arvind Gupta</a> put it, it needs to get out of the mindset of making money without creating value. It needs to do both.</p>
<p>I’m the Director of Research at 1.2 Labs. We’re a blockchain consultancy that’s basically “philosophy meets finance”. I also write for the sister organization, <em>The Art of the Bubble.</em></p>
<p>If you’re interested in learning how to invest in crypto markets, <a href="https://theartofthebubble.com/newsletter/">Subscribe to The Art of the Bubble’s free newsletter</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://discord.gg/9ECEjkGJgp">Join us on Discord</a> for live chat and daily updates.</p>
</section>
|
Can Money Fail?
Understanding the Basics of Fiat Currency
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash
It sounds rather absurd to think in this day and age that money can fail. The reason why it can has not only to do with marcoeconomics and finance, but basic economic relations (which macroeconomics and finance tend to overlook).
So let’s have a look at the issue of failure from the perspective of the philosophy of economics!
With economic systems, there are at least two kinds of failure. Both are a variation of utility.
(1) Utility as Functional
When features within an economic system prevent or inhibit the ability of institutions and transactors from exchanging goods, borrowing money, lending money, or providing services, then one can say there is a functional failure.
Functional failure can often include other factors that are not specifically economic. For example, F. A. Hayek alleges that in so-called socialist societies that try to engineer society in a specific way, such engineering prevents the exercise of rational capacities in individuals (i.e. trial and error) that can lead to innovation and the creation of value. (I say “so-called” because Hayek’s definition of socialism is narrow and does not represent socialism as such.)
(2) Utility as Satisfaction
The more common notion of utility in economics has to do with the satisfaction of a transactor’s preferences, which can include both needs and desires.
If an economic system is inefficient in providing utility satisfaction, we can say it fails in being able to circulate wealth; and in doing this, we can say that without proper circulation of wealth, the vital processes of creativity and production (which rely on the use of wealth from other sectors of an economy) have failed.
An important note: if we expand the idea of utility to involve some notion of well-being (or welfare), we can also say that failure to satisfy preferences is really a failure at creating a better society in which the lives of its citizens reach an acceptable level of quality. An economic system, in that sense, would be inefficient. And this then overlaps with the first definition of utility as functional. (And then we can talk about morality and economics in terms of utilitarianism.)
Does Barter Fail?
I always like to point out that barter was not the first and most prominent form of trade for ancient and archaic societies:
“The way trust informs relations of exchange has been well argued by the likes of such political economists as Henry George and, more recently, by the anthropologist David Graeber. Both George and Graeber convincingly dispel the idea that barter was the most basic and original form of exchange between societies. George argues barter is really a form of trust that is extended over time within a society. That is, barter is really a form of credit.” (For more on this, click here.)
Apart from that, we can say that barter might fail according to definition (2), since it can be cumbersome to find people with the goods you want and who want what you have.
Having said that, such a failure does not mean it ceases to exist or ceases to be used.
Economic behavior tends to follow the path of least resistance (in view of the goals one has). So barter would simply recede from the scene as a form of trade, but it might very well come back in certain instances — e.g. people want to avoid tax consequences and simply swap goods on the spot.
Money
Money can fail in sense (2) [utility as satisfaction] when a currency is devalued (and does not allow one to acquire what one might have had, had the currency not been devalued), prohibited (sanctioned), or not wanted (someone simply does not trust the currency as a store of value).
More interestingly (at least for me), money can fail in sense (1) [utility as functional] when the flow and circulation of money is controlled in such a way that it favors a small percentage of the population.
In other words, central banks, governments, and financial-related institutions create structures and procedures that prevent freer access to money. This occurs most explicitly in how banks lend money. The rich are greatly advantaged by the current system since they have financial standing and can get large loans at very low interest rates. This sum can then be invested with a return above the interest rate of the loan. It’s basically free money to use to make more money.
Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash
Less explicitly, the entire system can be geared for sustaining an economy that simply creates a situation that is depressive for most people, yet seen to be the normal state of affairs. Here’s an interesting take by Robert Reich on how decades of financial policies led to some significant past and recent problems:
“[T]he dominance of finance over much of the American economy since 1980 didn’t happen by accident. It needed the help of politicians — including presidents (both Republican and Democrat) — who changed laws and regulations to encourage it. . . .
When the financial bubble inevitably burst, Barack Obama endorsed the Bush administration’s Wall Street bailout and appointed many of the same team of Clinton-era economic advisors who, while working under Rubin in the 1990s, had laid the groundwork for the financial crisis by encouraging speculation. Obama did what they then recommended: restore the profitability of Wall Street banks rather than reduce the power of finance and help millions of Americans who lost their homes.”
There are other ways in which money can fail in sense (1), but as a way of closing, I’d just like to mention that the promise of blockchain technology and decentralized finance is to provide everyone with easier access to money. There are significant challenges, such as rectifying the need for over-collateralization. My colleague Sebastian Purcell points out more of the challenges in a blog from March 2022.
So the DeFi promise is still far off, and cryptocurrency is still very much a speculative venture in both financial and practical senses. It needs to be more user-friendly and more widely accepted; but also, as my venture capitalist colleague Arvind Gupta put it, it needs to get out of the mindset of making money without creating value. It needs to do both.
I’m the Director of Research at 1.2 Labs. We’re a blockchain consultancy that’s basically “philosophy meets finance”. I also write for the sister organization, The Art of the Bubble.
If you’re interested in learning how to invest in crypto markets, Subscribe to The Art of the Bubble’s free newsletter.
Join us on Discord for live chat and daily updates.
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d445c8ce-3dac-53ce-97e2-a78b464edb12
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25/08/2025 16:03:08
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https://medium.com/@scissorliftoutlet/new-designed-hydraulic-cargo-scissor-lift-table-https-t-co-zyxf31554j-https-t-co-l1u0cqjbfn-756d41decf33
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medium.com
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New Designed Hydraulic Cargo Scissor Lift Table https://t.co/ZYxf31554j https://t.co/L1u0cQJBfN
| null |
Scissor Lift Outlet
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https://medium.com/@scissorliftoutlet
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756d41decf33
| null |
0 min
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2017-03-23T07:55:07.815000
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2017-03-23T07:55:09.543000
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2017-03-23T07:55:09.543000
| 0 | 0 |
en
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Scissor Lift For Sale,Scissor Lift Rental,Scissor Lifts,Scissor Lift Table
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<section>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/scissorliftsale/status/844819516878073856">http://twitter.com/scissorliftsale/status/844819516878073856</a> New Designed Hydraulic Cargo Scissor Lift Table <a href="https://t.co/ZYxf31554j">https://t.co/ZYxf31554j</a> <a href="https://t.co/L1u0cQJBfN">https://t.co/L1u0cQJBfN</a></p>
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http://twitter.com/scissorliftsale/status/844819516878073856 New Designed Hydraulic Cargo Scissor Lift Table https://t.co/ZYxf31554j https://t.co/L1u0cQJBfN
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15c624db-7d40-565c-bcab-2f50856a8df1
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25/08/2025 16:03:08
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https://medium.com/seventhirty-dc/q-a-local-author-len-kruger-on-asking-good-bad-guestions-72d4e28a25c5
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medium.com
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Q&A: Local Author Len Kruger on Asking Good Bad Questions
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Len Kruger is the winner of this year’s Washington Writers’ Publishing House fiction award for his novel BAD QUESTIONS. This hilarious and…
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Denise S. Robbins
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https://medium.com/@denisesrobbins
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72d4e28a25c5
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9 min
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2023-09-29T21:06:59.696000
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2023-10-03T05:39:22.677000
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2023-10-03T13:46:16.491000
| 0 | 2 |
en
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Fiction,Local Author,Author Interview,Dc Fiction,Literature
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<section>
<p>Len Kruger is the winner of this year’s Washington Writers’ Publishing House fiction award for his novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/bad-questions-len-kruger/20254080?aid=92129&ean=9781941551356&listref=washington-writers-publishing-house">BAD QUESTIONS</a>. This hilarious and heart-rending debut follows a character named Billy reexamining his childhood in Rockville and Silver Spring. In the wake of his father’s death, the guilt-ridden twelve-year-old gets caught up in a scheme of superstition and hexes, trying to square his family’s Judaism with his father’s belief in spirits, all while trying to understand what happened. It’s a fast-moving portrait of life in the 1970s, before Google could answer all life’s questions, and a reminder that some questions can never be answered.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/788/1*8tB0EwoH8uuhxw4AQaOnCw.jpeg" width="788" height="1238" loading="lazy" />
<p>Founded in 1975, the Washington Writers’ Publishing House is a non-profit, cooperative literary organization that sponsors three annual manuscript competitions — one each in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction — for writers living in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The winning books are published by the press. They also launched an online literary journal, <em>WWPH Writes,</em> in 2021.</p>
<p>On a rainy afternoon, Kruger and 730DC spoke at a cafe (okay, it was Starbucks) near his home on Connecticut Avenue, where he lives with his wife, Cynthia, and a dog named Howie. With a too-small table wobbling between us (should’ve gone to Tatte), we spoke about autofiction, superstitions, inspiration, and the local writing community.</p>
<p><strong>First of all, congratulations on winning the WWPH fiction award. Did you know, when you were writing it, that it was award-winning material? What was this story’s journey from conception to publication with WWPH?</strong></p>
<p>I actually started writing this novel more than ten years ago. I was in a couple of writing groups, so I would bring in a chapter every few months that grew into the initial novel. The novel right now is told in the voice of this twelve-year-old boy. Initially, the novel alternated between him as a twelve-year-old and him as an adult. It was a lot longer and would go back and forth. I sent it out to a few agents and didn’t get anywhere with it, so I put it aside.</p>
<p>But when I saw the solicitation for the Washington Writers Publishing House contest, I revisited the whole thing and decided the adult parts weren’t really working. My character as a kid is very neurotic, constantly questioning himself and everything around him, which I thought was endearing as a kid, but as an adult, it came off as a little bit annoying. What if I just stripped those parts out and just kept the narrator as a twelve-year-old in his voice? It seemed to work pretty well.</p>
<p>So I spent a lot of time revising and filling in plot holes, then submitted it. My thinking was if I could be a finalist, then I could put that in the letter to agents that I would then submit it to, so that would be helpful. I wasn’t counting on it actually winning. Although I did have fantasies like every writer does. And then feeling embarrassed about those fantasies.</p>
<p><strong>How much of this book is autobiographical, and how many people did you hex as a child?</strong></p>
<p>I hexed nobody as a child. Looking back, maybe I wish I had. But I would say it’s semi-autobiographical. A lot of the major plot points are totally fictional. The father committing suicide, fortunately, never happened. But we did move from Silver Spring to Rockville when I was in seventh grade. And some of Billy’s conversations with his father were kind of based on the kinds of conversations I had with my father. He liked to joke around a lot! But on the other hand, the father in Bad Questions believes in superstition and his fate being controlled by a spiritual force. My dad in real life was a scientist and would be the last person in the world to believe in that stuff. He subscribed to this magazine called the Skeptical Inquirer which ran articles debunking pseudoscience and the paranormal. So he was completely opposite from that kind of point of view about the world being controlled or controllable by some parapsychological force.</p>
<p><strong>How much of the story would you say was inspired by the setting, like the 7-Eleven that plays such an important role? Did you go there as a kid?</strong></p>
<p>The 7-Eleven was in downtown Rockville, and I used to go there just to buy candy and ice cream. Nothing dramatic ever happened there at all.</p>
<p><strong>Except that they stopped selling Good & Fruities.</strong></p>
<p>Yes, they did, and that was my (and Billy’s) favorite candy. I think they discontinued Good & Fruities. I don’t understand that at all, because they were way better than Good & Plenties. That’s one part of the story that’s totally autobiographical, where my character Billy is like, I don’t understand why people like licorice. It’s bitter. There’s just no comparison.</p>
<p><strong>Did you ever go back there just to revisit the 7-Eleven?</strong></p>
<p>It’s not there anymore. That whole area in downtown Rockville was totally redeveloped. They have this town square and it’s pretty neat. It’s completely transformed. The houses out there are the same, but the whole commercial downtown area is completely different.</p>
<p><strong>Does the book take place in the seventies because that’s when you were growing up? Or do you feel like there’s something particular that drew you to that time period?</strong></p>
<p>That’s when I was growing up. The book has lots of cultural references to things that a twelve-year-old boy would be interested in during the late sixties and early seventies. Things like Mad magazine, plus lots of TV shows like Get Smart, Gilligan’s Island, and Match Game. And Billy is, as I was, a big Washington Senators fan, which is the baseball team that was moved to Texas in 1971. It was a heartbreaking moment for me as a kid, even though the Senators were really bad. The Orioles, just 40 miles away, were the best team in baseball. So there was this feeling of tremendous inadequacy and a kind of hatred of the other team that was so much more successful. That comes out in the book. And that was totally me at the time.</p>
<p><strong>And there was a lot less internet back then to answer Billy’s many “bad questions.”</strong></p>
<p>There was no internet.</p>
<p><strong>Does the story necessitate the lack of internet?</strong></p>
<p>Billy is constantly trying to figure out how things work, why things happen, whether what he can do can influence the course of events that happen to him and other people. I think if there was internet he would be Googling stuff all the time and maybe having different strategies about how to do things. The internet might have changed his approach.</p>
<p><strong>Does modern technology help stem belief in superstition?</strong></p>
<p>No, I think technology might spread it even more, because people who believe are all connected through Facebook or Twitter and reinforce each other’s beliefs.</p>
<p><strong>Let’s talk about the “magic” in this story. Or lack thereof. There are superstitions, hexes, and a lot of Jewish culture and education in the background. The father in this story also talks about the spiritual plane, which may or may not be connected with his Judaism. So how do all these different parts fit together?</strong></p>
<p>Billy is raised in a fairly observant Jewish family. He goes to Hebrew school, so he’s surrounded by it. But one of the features of Judaism, and also of science, is asking lots of questions. In Judaism, you have the four questions of the Passover Seder, you have the story of the four sons. Billy considers himself the Wicked Son because he thinks he’s responsible for his father’s death. But his father, by believing in these superstitions, stops asking questions. It’s like people who are in a cult, they’ve got everything explained for them, and so they don’t really need to question anything. Or don’t <em>want </em>to question anything.</p>
<p><strong>My favorite passage is this one:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Why did you do it? I would say to him, his spirit floating in front of me, fuzzy, like bad TV reception. Why did you do it? Define “why,” he would say. Define “you,” define “do,” defi</em>ne “it.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>My question is: Define “why.”</strong></p>
<p>That’s the main question of the book. Why did his dad do it? It’s one of those questions that can never be answered. There are some questions that you can never really know the answer to. You can just make guesses. Even I don’t know the answer. If I did, it would probably be a different kind of book.</p>
<p><strong>Back to process. How did you select which of your real memories bring in? Did you make conscious choices?</strong></p>
<p>Some people outline novels completely and know exactly what’s going to happen chapter by chapter. I didn’t know where the whole thing was going until I reached the end. I’d reach a chapter and draw on a memory that I had of myself at that age. It’s funny the things you remember and the things you forget. And after many years, the hurt from those things dissipates. But as a writer, you can use it.</p>
<p><strong>Do you subscribe to any spiritual ideas of writing fiction, or theories of the creative muse?</strong></p>
<p>No, I really don’t. I just sit in front of my computer and I’m usually fortunate that stuff just pops into my head. I have very little writer’s block. The challenge is sitting down and starting to work. That’s always the challenge. I can always find a million other things that I could procrastinate with, but once I’m actually doing it, things are going to come.</p>
<p><strong>Where does your inspiration come from?</strong></p>
<p>It just comes. If you’re writing you just get to think, all of a sudden, oh wow, what if this happens? That’s the great thing about writing fiction: you’re not bound by what really happened. So you can take something that might have happened to you and then ask, what if it went in a completely different direction? And then just try it out and see where it goes. So I can’t really say where it comes from. Things just pop into my head. Maybe there is some muse out there putting them in.</p>
<p><strong>If there is, don’t question it!</strong></p>
<p>Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>How has it been working with the Washington Writers’ Publishing House?</strong></p>
<p>Working with them has been absolutely fantastic. They’re great. Basically, they’re made up of writers who’ve won the WWPH awards in the past. They’ve been around for 50 years. They started out just with poetry, and then they went into fiction. And last year, for the first time, they started a creative nonfiction competition. They gave me substantive feedback, like encouraging me to write a preface and an epilogue, which I did. I think it was the right decision. Almost all their recommendations I agreed with.</p>
<p><strong>What other aspects of the DC literary scene do you think more people should know about?</strong></p>
<p>The Inner Loop is a great organization that’s generous in giving chances to a lot of writers out there to share their work. The Bethesda Writer’s Center is cool, I’ve taken a gazillion courses there and recently published an article about Bad Questions in their magazine. And I’m in three writing different writing groups. I’m also in <a href="https://meetu.ps/c/3KgW5/MQVrz/a">Shut Up & Write</a> through Meetup.com — they have virtual meetings all throughout the week, where you get on, talk about what you’re going to do for the next one or two hours, and then shut up and write. I run one of those on Wednesday mornings at 10:00am. All are welcome!</p>
<p><strong>What’s your favorite bad question?</strong></p>
<p>Why is this happening to me?</p>
<p>BAD QUESTIONS will be published on October 3. There will be launch events and readings open to the public:</p>
<ul>
<li>Saturday, October 14 at 3 pm — Politics & Prose -5015 Connecticut Avenue NW — Washington DC 20008. <a href="https://www.politics-prose.com/wwph-2023">Details here.</a></li>
<li>Sunday, October 22 at 3 pm (wine and cheese reception to follow) — Writer’s Center– 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. <a href="https://writer.org/event/wwph23/">Details here.</a></li>
<li>Sunday, November 19 at 5:30pm — Reston’s Used Book Shop — 1623 Washington Plaza North, Reston, VA 20190</li>
</ul>
<p>The Washington Writers’ Publishing House <a href="https://www.washingtonwriters.org/submit-to-wwph-2/">2024 book competition is open until November 1.</a></p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1725/1*-vynoZ2X6R2rIwch3jTmoQ.jpeg" width="1725" height="1389" loading="lazy" />
<p><em>Len Kruger lives in Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of the MFA Program at the University of Maryland. His short fiction has appeared in Zoetrope-All Story, The Barcelona Review, Gargoyle, Potomac Review, Splonk, and the anthology This is What America Looks Like. He was the fiction winner of the 2021 writing contest sponsored by the Inner Loop and District Fray Magazine. In addition to writing fiction, Len is a storyteller and has performed on stage at many Washington, D.C. area storytelling venues, including Story District, The Moth DC, The Story Collider, and Better Said Than Done.</em></p>
<p><em>Denise S. Robbins is an author and teacher from Wisconsin living in Washington DC. Her writing has appeared in Barcelona Review, Gulf Coast Journal, Chicago Review of Books, The Creative independent, and more. She teaches a workshop about climate change fiction and has a novel and story collection in the works. Learn more at <a href="http://www.denisesrobbins.com">www.denisesrobbins.com</a> and <a href</em>="https://deniserobbins.substack.com/">sign up for her bizarre newsletter about life here.</a></p>
</section>
|
Q&A: Local Author Len Kruger on Asking Good Bad Questions
Len Kruger is the winner of this year’s Washington Writers’ Publishing House fiction award for his novel BAD QUESTIONS. This hilarious and heart-rending debut follows a character named Billy reexamining his childhood in Rockville and Silver Spring. In the wake of his father’s death, the guilt-ridden twelve-year-old gets caught up in a scheme of superstition and hexes, trying to square his family’s Judaism with his father’s belief in spirits, all while trying to understand what happened. It’s a fast-moving portrait of life in the 1970s, before Google could answer all life’s questions, and a reminder that some questions can never be answered.
Founded in 1975, the Washington Writers’ Publishing House is a non-profit, cooperative literary organization that sponsors three annual manuscript competitions — one each in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction — for writers living in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The winning books are published by the press. They also launched an online literary journal, WWPH Writes, in 2021.
On a rainy afternoon, Kruger and 730DC spoke at a cafe (okay, it was Starbucks) near his home on Connecticut Avenue, where he lives with his wife, Cynthia, and a dog named Howie. With a too-small table wobbling between us (should’ve gone to Tatte), we spoke about autofiction, superstitions, inspiration, and the local writing community.
First of all, congratulations on winning the WWPH fiction award. Did you know, when you were writing it, that it was award-winning material? What was this story’s journey from conception to publication with WWPH?
I actually started writing this novel more than ten years ago. I was in a couple of writing groups, so I would bring in a chapter every few months that grew into the initial novel. The novel right now is told in the voice of this twelve-year-old boy. Initially, the novel alternated between him as a twelve-year-old and him as an adult. It was a lot longer and would go back and forth. I sent it out to a few agents and didn’t get anywhere with it, so I put it aside.
But when I saw the solicitation for the Washington Writers Publishing House contest, I revisited the whole thing and decided the adult parts weren’t really working. My character as a kid is very neurotic, constantly questioning himself and everything around him, which I thought was endearing as a kid, but as an adult, it came off as a little bit annoying. What if I just stripped those parts out and just kept the narrator as a twelve-year-old in his voice? It seemed to work pretty well.
So I spent a lot of time revising and filling in plot holes, then submitted it. My thinking was if I could be a finalist, then I could put that in the letter to agents that I would then submit it to, so that would be helpful. I wasn’t counting on it actually winning. Although I did have fantasies like every writer does. And then feeling embarrassed about those fantasies.
How much of this book is autobiographical, and how many people did you hex as a child?
I hexed nobody as a child. Looking back, maybe I wish I had. But I would say it’s semi-autobiographical. A lot of the major plot points are totally fictional. The father committing suicide, fortunately, never happened. But we did move from Silver Spring to Rockville when I was in seventh grade. And some of Billy’s conversations with his father were kind of based on the kinds of conversations I had with my father. He liked to joke around a lot! But on the other hand, the father in Bad Questions believes in superstition and his fate being controlled by a spiritual force. My dad in real life was a scientist and would be the last person in the world to believe in that stuff. He subscribed to this magazine called the Skeptical Inquirer which ran articles debunking pseudoscience and the paranormal. So he was completely opposite from that kind of point of view about the world being controlled or controllable by some parapsychological force.
How much of the story would you say was inspired by the setting, like the 7-Eleven that plays such an important role? Did you go there as a kid?
The 7-Eleven was in downtown Rockville, and I used to go there just to buy candy and ice cream. Nothing dramatic ever happened there at all.
Except that they stopped selling Good & Fruities.
Yes, they did, and that was my (and Billy’s) favorite candy. I think they discontinued Good & Fruities. I don’t understand that at all, because they were way better than Good & Plenties. That’s one part of the story that’s totally autobiographical, where my character Billy is like, I don’t understand why people like licorice. It’s bitter. There’s just no comparison.
Did you ever go back there just to revisit the 7-Eleven?
It’s not there anymore. That whole area in downtown Rockville was totally redeveloped. They have this town square and it’s pretty neat. It’s completely transformed. The houses out there are the same, but the whole commercial downtown area is completely different.
Does the book take place in the seventies because that’s when you were growing up? Or do you feel like there’s something particular that drew you to that time period?
That’s when I was growing up. The book has lots of cultural references to things that a twelve-year-old boy would be interested in during the late sixties and early seventies. Things like Mad magazine, plus lots of TV shows like Get Smart, Gilligan’s Island, and Match Game. And Billy is, as I was, a big Washington Senators fan, which is the baseball team that was moved to Texas in 1971. It was a heartbreaking moment for me as a kid, even though the Senators were really bad. The Orioles, just 40 miles away, were the best team in baseball. So there was this feeling of tremendous inadequacy and a kind of hatred of the other team that was so much more successful. That comes out in the book. And that was totally me at the time.
And there was a lot less internet back then to answer Billy’s many “bad questions.”
There was no internet.
Does the story necessitate the lack of internet?
Billy is constantly trying to figure out how things work, why things happen, whether what he can do can influence the course of events that happen to him and other people. I think if there was internet he would be Googling stuff all the time and maybe having different strategies about how to do things. The internet might have changed his approach.
Does modern technology help stem belief in superstition?
No, I think technology might spread it even more, because people who believe are all connected through Facebook or Twitter and reinforce each other’s beliefs.
Let’s talk about the “magic” in this story. Or lack thereof. There are superstitions, hexes, and a lot of Jewish culture and education in the background. The father in this story also talks about the spiritual plane, which may or may not be connected with his Judaism. So how do all these different parts fit together?
Billy is raised in a fairly observant Jewish family. He goes to Hebrew school, so he’s surrounded by it. But one of the features of Judaism, and also of science, is asking lots of questions. In Judaism, you have the four questions of the Passover Seder, you have the story of the four sons. Billy considers himself the Wicked Son because he thinks he’s responsible for his father’s death. But his father, by believing in these superstitions, stops asking questions. It’s like people who are in a cult, they’ve got everything explained for them, and so they don’t really need to question anything. Or don’t want to question anything.
My favorite passage is this one:
Why did you do it? I would say to him, his spirit floating in front of me, fuzzy, like bad TV reception. Why did you do it? Define “why,” he would say. Define “you,” define “do,” define “it.”
My question is: Define “why.”
That’s the main question of the book. Why did his dad do it? It’s one of those questions that can never be answered. There are some questions that you can never really know the answer to. You can just make guesses. Even I don’t know the answer. If I did, it would probably be a different kind of book.
Back to process. How did you select which of your real memories bring in? Did you make conscious choices?
Some people outline novels completely and know exactly what’s going to happen chapter by chapter. I didn’t know where the whole thing was going until I reached the end. I’d reach a chapter and draw on a memory that I had of myself at that age. It’s funny the things you remember and the things you forget. And after many years, the hurt from those things dissipates. But as a writer, you can use it.
Do you subscribe to any spiritual ideas of writing fiction, or theories of the creative muse?
No, I really don’t. I just sit in front of my computer and I’m usually fortunate that stuff just pops into my head. I have very little writer’s block. The challenge is sitting down and starting to work. That’s always the challenge. I can always find a million other things that I could procrastinate with, but once I’m actually doing it, things are going to come.
Where does your inspiration come from?
It just comes. If you’re writing you just get to think, all of a sudden, oh wow, what if this happens? That’s the great thing about writing fiction: you’re not bound by what really happened. So you can take something that might have happened to you and then ask, what if it went in a completely different direction? And then just try it out and see where it goes. So I can’t really say where it comes from. Things just pop into my head. Maybe there is some muse out there putting them in.
If there is, don’t question it!
Absolutely.
How has it been working with the Washington Writers’ Publishing House?
Working with them has been absolutely fantastic. They’re great. Basically, they’re made up of writers who’ve won the WWPH awards in the past. They’ve been around for 50 years. They started out just with poetry, and then they went into fiction. And last year, for the first time, they started a creative nonfiction competition. They gave me substantive feedback, like encouraging me to write a preface and an epilogue, which I did. I think it was the right decision. Almost all their recommendations I agreed with.
What other aspects of the DC literary scene do you think more people should know about?
The Inner Loop is a great organization that’s generous in giving chances to a lot of writers out there to share their work. The Bethesda Writer’s Center is cool, I’ve taken a gazillion courses there and recently published an article about Bad Questions in their magazine. And I’m in three writing different writing groups. I’m also in Shut Up & Write through Meetup.com — they have virtual meetings all throughout the week, where you get on, talk about what you’re going to do for the next one or two hours, and then shut up and write. I run one of those on Wednesday mornings at 10:00am. All are welcome!
What’s your favorite bad question?
Why is this happening to me?
BAD QUESTIONS will be published on October 3. There will be launch events and readings open to the public:
Saturday, October 14 at 3 pm — Politics & Prose -5015 Connecticut Avenue NW — Washington DC 20008. Details here.
Sunday, October 22 at 3 pm (wine and cheese reception to follow) — Writer’s Center– 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. Details here.
Sunday, November 19 at 5:30pm — Reston’s Used Book Shop — 1623 Washington Plaza North, Reston, VA 20190
The Washington Writers’ Publishing House 2024 book competition is open until November 1.
Len Kruger lives in Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of the MFA Program at the University of Maryland. His short fiction has appeared in Zoetrope-All Story, The Barcelona Review, Gargoyle, Potomac Review, Splonk, and the anthology This is What America Looks Like. He was the fiction winner of the 2021 writing contest sponsored by the Inner Loop and District Fray Magazine. In addition to writing fiction, Len is a storyteller and has performed on stage at many Washington, D.C. area storytelling venues, including Story District, The Moth DC, The Story Collider, and Better Said Than Done.
Denise S. Robbins is an author and teacher from Wisconsin living in Washington DC. Her writing has appeared in Barcelona Review, Gulf Coast Journal, Chicago Review of Books, The Creative independent, and more. She teaches a workshop about climate change fiction and has a novel and story collection in the works. Learn more at www.denisesrobbins.com and sign up for her bizarre newsletter about life here.
|
87c7e0b3-9776-5af4-ab85-087815df5f18
|
25/08/2025 16:03:10
|
|
https://medium.com/@williambronchick/william-bronchick-best-selling-author-and-attorney-colorado-f8b68d37c526
|
medium.com
|
William Bronchick Best-Selling Author and Attorney Colorado
|
William Bronchick, Esq., is a nationally known attorney, author, entrepreneur, and speaker. William has spoken to tens of thousands of…
|
William Bronchick
|
https://medium.com/@williambronchick
|
f8b68d37c526
|
0 min
|
2018-01-15T07:45:03.169000
|
2018-01-15T07:46:04.381000
|
2018-03-27T12:42:09.767000
| 0 | 29 |
en
|
William Bronchick,Best Selling Author,Attorney Colorado,Entrepreneur,Speaker
|
<section>
<p><strong><a href="https://</strong>bronchicklaw.com/">William Bronchick</a>, Esq., is a nationally known attorney, author, entrepreneur, and speaker. William has spoken to tens of thousands of people at seminars.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2724/1*LHBDtwWTGUjxIM81Ak99PQ.png" width="2724" height="902" loading="lazy" />
</section>
|
William Bronchick Best-Selling Author and Attorney Colorado
William Bronchick, Esq., is a nationally known attorney, author, entrepreneur, and speaker. William has spoken to tens of thousands of people at seminars.
|
cca9f5c2-8b5a-520b-8aef-a57f9394e1d2
|
25/08/2025 16:03:11
|
|
https://medium.com/@scotthallmaryland/scott-hall-customer-service-professional-9e3f6bf1f8bd
|
medium.com
|
Scott Hall — Customer Service Professional
|
Always do more than what’s expected by your customers. That’s how people spread the word about you and your business.
|
Scott Hall Maryland
|
https://medium.com/@scotthallmaryland
|
9e3f6bf1f8bd
|
7 min
|
2020-03-20T15:52:34.425000
|
2019-12-20T21:00:31
|
2021-12-13T00:08:11.571000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Customer,Customer Service,Customer Experience,Interview,Interview Questions
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/972/0*XTq_AXNmjpSLnmEC.jpg" width="972" height="642" loading="lazy" />
<p><em>Always do more than what’s expected by your customers. That’s how people spread the word about you and your business.</em></p>
<p>Scott has lived in the Washington, DC area for most of his life, growing up in Northern Virginia. He graduated from The College of William and Mary, and started work for CompUSA, a big-box technology retailer, prior to college. He held a variety of store and region sales and operations positions there until 2006, when he left as a Division Director. After that, Scott worked at multiple companies in the retail and mobility sectors, including senior positions at T-Mobile, Zipcar and General Motors. Scott has won numerous awards for increasing sales and customer service while launching new businesses and product lines. His innovations for merchandising and sales training helped produce higher margins and attachment rates at CompUSA, T-Mobile and Zipcar. He currently lives in suburban Maryland with his family and consults for startups looking to build their customer service operations.</p>
<h1>Where did the idea for your career come from?</h1>
<p>After having spent a great deal of my career in customer-facing roles building great operations, I could help many more companies in a consulting role, sharing my experiences. I have always enjoyed the fast pace of the consumer sector and consulting provides a great variety to my work.</p>
<h2>What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?</h2>
<p>With two young kids and two active dogs, my day starts early. I’m up by 5:30am-5:45am each morning getting everyone in the house moving, but I’m already thinking about my day over breakfast. I have found that investing some time at the beginning and end of each day about what you did and need to do helps me ensure the most important things get done consistently.</p>
<p>When I’m at work, I try to work on the most challenging things for 60–90 minute stretches separated by small 5 minute breaks to handle email, calls, etc. It keeps me fresh and adds some variety when working on a particularly challenging product or client request. Lunch for me is often a working lunch, so I try to pack it and eat as healthy as possible — it’s tough these days. That being said, it’s important to take 10 minutes to refresh yourself and realign for the back half of the day.</p>
<p>I try to do my most challenging work at the beginning of the day to get a sense of accomplishment and de-stress the rest of my day. I can’t say enough about tackling the hard things first — those are usually what the client or customer is most focused on, and if you have to move deliverables around for smaller items, you’ve established credibility to get the big stones moved.</p>
<h2>How do you bring ideas to life?</h2>
<p>I like to approach life with a “why not?” attitude — allowing myself to always think of ways to give the customer or client what they want or help them develop solutions to their problems — with an open mind. Too often, we let our experiences create walls that prevent us from thinking in new and innovative ways. And I also love using whiteboards and other visual tools to help convey meaning and purpose when sharing with others, since people learn and communicate in different ways. I always have to know how things work, so using tools such as these allow people to see connections in as much a real way as possible. Throughout the process, you have to give your teams checkpoints to make sure they’re along with you to that point and give them a chance to challenge and ask questions. By doing this, you get much better buy-in from clients and teams, and they can more fully involve themselves in the solution.</p>
<h2>What’s one trend that excites you?</h2>
<p>I am incredibly excited about the ever-improving ability of retailers to customize my shopping experience in whatever way I interact with them — if I’m in a store, shopping on their website or sending me email. Learning what I like and don’t like based upon my past behaviors has gotten so much more sophisticated, and frankly saves me a lot of time. Retailers need to put in a great deal of work to ensure that the algorithms that make recommendations and suggestions make sense, because I’ve seen more than one that clearly doesn’t understand me. Giving me app reminders when I’m in a store about what I might need based upon what I’ve bought or shopped for in the past is awesome, and it keeps me coming back to the app.</p>
<p>The problem with email as the primary communication route for retailers is that we all get so many emails, and the frequency is often too much, that I might simply unsubscribe. Give me a chance to shape how and how often you communicate with me to help me help you! It’s a massively important way to increase my average order, shopping frequency and loyalty.</p>
<h2>What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?</h2>
<p>Always be selling and teach your teams to sell — whether it’s talking to a customer, a prospective employee, a vendor, anyone — because sales are your livelihood. You’ve got to bring in revenue any way you can, and people are depending upon you for a paycheck. Even when you’re not selling — for example, when you’re talking to a friend about what you do — you’re selling who you are and what you do in case the need for your product or service ever shows up. People remember friendly, engaging people who present themselves in a memorable way. You never know when that big break can come!</p>
<h2>What advice would you give your younger self?</h2>
<p>Listen more. When you’ve gotten good at something, it’s very easy to simply tell people how to do things without consider alternatives. There are lots of smart people out there; take advantage of what they know. At the same time, you’re helping and grooming future leaders.</p>
<h2>Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.</h2>
<p>I’m not sure why, but no one seems to agree with me that Star Trek is better than Star Wars!</p>
<h2>As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?</h2>
<p>I recommend everyone read at least 1 book a month. You pick the topic, but rotate them over time and delve into subjects that you don’t ordinarily interest you. I enjoy exposing myself to new things to get different perspectives and learn about stuff I don’t think will apply to my everyday life, because you never know when that topic might come up. It also makes you a more well-rounded person, so if you’re an entrepreneur trying to create connections with a prospective customer, you’ll have more things that can be conversation points.</p>
<h2>What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?</h2>
<p>Always do more than what’s expected by your customers. That’s how people spread the word about you and your business. And when you make a mistake, over-satisfy them. People remember how problems are resolved, and talk about them a lot more, than just a regular experience.</p>
<h2>What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?</h2>
<p>When I was helping build a business line in one of my previous roles, I overcommitted purchases from a vendor that didn’t have the best history with us. I thought that this would be the time they deliver. Past experiences are the best predictor of future performance, and when you need to bet a lot on someone, bet it on someone that has been reliable for you but it might be a stretch over someone who has a name or money, but no track record, every time.</p>
<h2>What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?</h2>
<p>I love to visit the beach, but I hate dragging my family’s things from where we’re staying out to the beach. All the towels, chairs, umbrellas, kids’ toys and such add up quickly, and it’s hard to carry over the sand. Plus, you always forget something, whether it’s once you get to where you’re staying or at the beach itself. I think a company could bring all your things to you from your beach house to the beach, set it up, and then be available to bring things to you. Pure moneymaker!</p>
<h2>What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?</h2>
<p>I love shirts from Bonobo’s. I bought a great dress shirt from them that fits well and is very durable. It’s no secret that dressing comfortably and well can increase your confidence and bearing, and it does for me.</p>
<h2>What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?</h2>
<p>I’m a massive advocate for Trello, a visual collaborative and organizing web-based program. I use it to manage my workday and work on projects and shared goals with others. You can easily manipulate how you work with it and keep documents available for everyone to see and use, and it integrates very well with other programs such as Outlook to automate many processes. It’s designed with how people think in mind — I couldn’t live without it!</p>
<h2>What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?</h2>
<p>I would recommend “Team of Rivals” by Doris Goodwin. It’s easy for people to idolize Abraham Lincoln for his great accomplishments, but one of his most overlooked ones was how he worked with different types of people from different backgrounds to save this country. It’s a feat that I’m not sure can be duplicated in today’s environment, and teaches great lessons about the power of listening to people that don’t always agree with you to make your decisions better.</p>
<h2>What is your favorite quote?</h2>
<p>I think often of this quote by Barbara De Angelis: “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” No efforts to help others ever go unrewarded.</p>
<h2>Key Learnings:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Always be thinking about what you’re going to accomplish during each day and be ready to share it. You never know who is going to ask.</li>
<li>Prioritize relentlessly and don’t be afraid to throw it out the window for the right opportunity.</li>
<li>Invest in your people. They’ll always be your biggest asset, more than products or technology. When the system crashes and the phones don’t work, you want people that will go to the mat for you because they believe in the business as much as you.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://ideamensch.com/scott-hall/"</em>>https://ideamensch.com</a> on December 20, 2019.</p>
</section>
|
Scott Hall — Customer Service Professional
Always do more than what’s expected by your customers. That’s how people spread the word about you and your business.
Scott has lived in the Washington, DC area for most of his life, growing up in Northern Virginia. He graduated from The College of William and Mary, and started work for CompUSA, a big-box technology retailer, prior to college. He held a variety of store and region sales and operations positions there until 2006, when he left as a Division Director. After that, Scott worked at multiple companies in the retail and mobility sectors, including senior positions at T-Mobile, Zipcar and General Motors. Scott has won numerous awards for increasing sales and customer service while launching new businesses and product lines. His innovations for merchandising and sales training helped produce higher margins and attachment rates at CompUSA, T-Mobile and Zipcar. He currently lives in suburban Maryland with his family and consults for startups looking to build their customer service operations.
Where did the idea for your career come from?
After having spent a great deal of my career in customer-facing roles building great operations, I could help many more companies in a consulting role, sharing my experiences. I have always enjoyed the fast pace of the consumer sector and consulting provides a great variety to my work.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
With two young kids and two active dogs, my day starts early. I’m up by 5:30am-5:45am each morning getting everyone in the house moving, but I’m already thinking about my day over breakfast. I have found that investing some time at the beginning and end of each day about what you did and need to do helps me ensure the most important things get done consistently.
When I’m at work, I try to work on the most challenging things for 60–90 minute stretches separated by small 5 minute breaks to handle email, calls, etc. It keeps me fresh and adds some variety when working on a particularly challenging product or client request. Lunch for me is often a working lunch, so I try to pack it and eat as healthy as possible — it’s tough these days. That being said, it’s important to take 10 minutes to refresh yourself and realign for the back half of the day.
I try to do my most challenging work at the beginning of the day to get a sense of accomplishment and de-stress the rest of my day. I can’t say enough about tackling the hard things first — those are usually what the client or customer is most focused on, and if you have to move deliverables around for smaller items, you’ve established credibility to get the big stones moved.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I like to approach life with a “why not?” attitude — allowing myself to always think of ways to give the customer or client what they want or help them develop solutions to their problems — with an open mind. Too often, we let our experiences create walls that prevent us from thinking in new and innovative ways. And I also love using whiteboards and other visual tools to help convey meaning and purpose when sharing with others, since people learn and communicate in different ways. I always have to know how things work, so using tools such as these allow people to see connections in as much a real way as possible. Throughout the process, you have to give your teams checkpoints to make sure they’re along with you to that point and give them a chance to challenge and ask questions. By doing this, you get much better buy-in from clients and teams, and they can more fully involve themselves in the solution.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I am incredibly excited about the ever-improving ability of retailers to customize my shopping experience in whatever way I interact with them — if I’m in a store, shopping on their website or sending me email. Learning what I like and don’t like based upon my past behaviors has gotten so much more sophisticated, and frankly saves me a lot of time. Retailers need to put in a great deal of work to ensure that the algorithms that make recommendations and suggestions make sense, because I’ve seen more than one that clearly doesn’t understand me. Giving me app reminders when I’m in a store about what I might need based upon what I’ve bought or shopped for in the past is awesome, and it keeps me coming back to the app.
The problem with email as the primary communication route for retailers is that we all get so many emails, and the frequency is often too much, that I might simply unsubscribe. Give me a chance to shape how and how often you communicate with me to help me help you! It’s a massively important way to increase my average order, shopping frequency and loyalty.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Always be selling and teach your teams to sell — whether it’s talking to a customer, a prospective employee, a vendor, anyone — because sales are your livelihood. You’ve got to bring in revenue any way you can, and people are depending upon you for a paycheck. Even when you’re not selling — for example, when you’re talking to a friend about what you do — you’re selling who you are and what you do in case the need for your product or service ever shows up. People remember friendly, engaging people who present themselves in a memorable way. You never know when that big break can come!
What advice would you give your younger self?
Listen more. When you’ve gotten good at something, it’s very easy to simply tell people how to do things without consider alternatives. There are lots of smart people out there; take advantage of what they know. At the same time, you’re helping and grooming future leaders.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I’m not sure why, but no one seems to agree with me that Star Trek is better than Star Wars!
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I recommend everyone read at least 1 book a month. You pick the topic, but rotate them over time and delve into subjects that you don’t ordinarily interest you. I enjoy exposing myself to new things to get different perspectives and learn about stuff I don’t think will apply to my everyday life, because you never know when that topic might come up. It also makes you a more well-rounded person, so if you’re an entrepreneur trying to create connections with a prospective customer, you’ll have more things that can be conversation points.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Always do more than what’s expected by your customers. That’s how people spread the word about you and your business. And when you make a mistake, over-satisfy them. People remember how problems are resolved, and talk about them a lot more, than just a regular experience.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
When I was helping build a business line in one of my previous roles, I overcommitted purchases from a vendor that didn’t have the best history with us. I thought that this would be the time they deliver. Past experiences are the best predictor of future performance, and when you need to bet a lot on someone, bet it on someone that has been reliable for you but it might be a stretch over someone who has a name or money, but no track record, every time.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I love to visit the beach, but I hate dragging my family’s things from where we’re staying out to the beach. All the towels, chairs, umbrellas, kids’ toys and such add up quickly, and it’s hard to carry over the sand. Plus, you always forget something, whether it’s once you get to where you’re staying or at the beach itself. I think a company could bring all your things to you from your beach house to the beach, set it up, and then be available to bring things to you. Pure moneymaker!
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I love shirts from Bonobo’s. I bought a great dress shirt from them that fits well and is very durable. It’s no secret that dressing comfortably and well can increase your confidence and bearing, and it does for me.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
I’m a massive advocate for Trello, a visual collaborative and organizing web-based program. I use it to manage my workday and work on projects and shared goals with others. You can easily manipulate how you work with it and keep documents available for everyone to see and use, and it integrates very well with other programs such as Outlook to automate many processes. It’s designed with how people think in mind — I couldn’t live without it!
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I would recommend “Team of Rivals” by Doris Goodwin. It’s easy for people to idolize Abraham Lincoln for his great accomplishments, but one of his most overlooked ones was how he worked with different types of people from different backgrounds to save this country. It’s a feat that I’m not sure can be duplicated in today’s environment, and teaches great lessons about the power of listening to people that don’t always agree with you to make your decisions better.
What is your favorite quote?
I think often of this quote by Barbara De Angelis: “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” No efforts to help others ever go unrewarded.
Key Learnings:
Always be thinking about what you’re going to accomplish during each day and be ready to share it. You never know who is going to ask.
Prioritize relentlessly and don’t be afraid to throw it out the window for the right opportunity.
Invest in your people. They’ll always be your biggest asset, more than products or technology. When the system crashes and the phones don’t work, you want people that will go to the mat for you because they believe in the business as much as you.
Originally published at https://ideamensch.com on December 20, 2019.
|
84956160-2146-5407-90a4-fe5f2a7785ce
|
25/08/2025 16:03:11
|
|
https://medium.blocksquare.io/real-world-asset-tokenization-under-future-eu-regulation-mica-b1c228210683
|
medium.com
|
Real World Asset Tokenization under future EU regulation (MiCA)
|
Finally clear regulatory framework — tokenization going mainstream?
|
Julia Buchholz
|
https://medium.com/@juliabuchholz
|
b1c228210683
|
3 min
|
2024-01-16T04:56:00.622000
|
2024-01-16T05:03:13.363000
|
2024-01-16T05:03:20.872000
| 0 | 26 |
en
|
Mica,Rwa,Tokenization Of Asset,Blocksquare,Bst
|
<section>
<p>Finally clear regulatory framework — tokenization going mainstream?</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*wvUzA51TEadx5c8JqiIMdw.jpeg" width="1200" height="720" loading="lazy" />
<h1>Wild West vs. legal certainty</h1>
<p>It has often been said, quite rightly, that the crypto industry has been like the Wild West. There was no specific regulation for crypto-based business models. The rules consisted of so-called “soft law,” various guidelines from the regulators, which were interpreted in their own way and modified as necessary. This chaotic and uncertain environment underscored the urgent need for a clear regulatory framework.</p>
<p>Even if the rules of the game were clear in one country, this provided absolutely no guarantee that a crypto project would not be subject to regulatory proceedings in another country. According to the logic of the so-called “reverse solicitation,” which we know from the systemic European securities regulation (MiFID II), if an individual’s participation in a crypto project (e.g., the purchase of a crypto asset) occurred solely at the initiative of that individual, without being actively targeted by the crypto project, the law of the country from which the crypto project was operating would apply. Of course, most crypto projects did not operate this way, as they actively marketed their projects online and through other digital channels. The reverse solicitation was thus not applicable, exposing crypto projects to significant risks, including the risk of class action lawsuits, which have gained momentum in the EU as a result of the Volkswagen case.</p>
<p>The belief of many that the lack of clarity of the legal rules meant that there was an opportunity to do business around any regulatory hurdles was mistaken. Serious projects, and this is not just true of the crypto industry, require legal predictability. Now, with the introduction of the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (“MiCA”), the European systemic regulation for the crypto industry, we finally have it. This brings a sigh of relief and a sense of reassurance to the industry.</p>
<h2>Real World Asset Tokenization — the serious side of crypto business</h2>
<p>There are many types of transactions involving crypto assets in different forms. Certainly, those where crypto assets form a bridge between the digital and the real are more complex than those that are exclusively linked to the crypto sphere. The complexity is primarily reflected in ensuring the entire transaction’s integrity. Without ensuring security for all participants, especially the weakest ones, which are usually retail investors, the whole project is exposed to too much risk to be sustainable in the long term.</p>
<p>Real World Assets (“RWA”) tokenization is an example of a bridge that involves converting rights attached to an asset into a digital token on a blockchain. With the tokenization process, illiquid or limited liquid assets become more liquid. In that sense, tokenization is only a process of converting the form of an asset into a digital token (i.e., a crypto asset). That also means that tokenization simply adds an extra (liquidity) layer on top of RWAs. The “old school” business with RWAs is mixed with blockchain technology, whose core purpose is the transfer of value in a digital form. A match made in heaven!</p>
<p>However, applying new approaches based on the technology to old types of transactions means that there is an unavoidable mixture of new and old, usually in the way of old rules and new forms of implementation.</p>
<h2>RWAs under MiCA</h2>
<p>RWAs are in many forms. They may be in the form of commodities, titles, or economic rights attached to the real estate, rights to intellectual property, etc.</p>
<h3>…
Read full article on Blocksquare’s official blog <a href="https://blog.blocksquare.io/article/real-world-asset-tokenization-under-future-eu-regulation-mi-ca/">here</a>.</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*39mP0wdcDpTk4HjQhu_ZAg.jpeg" width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" />
<h2>💌 Get in touch</h2>
<p>For more details on how to get started with real estate tokenization, please get in touch using our <a href="https://blocksquare.typeform.com/to/BsDXI1">contact form.</a></p>
<p>**************************
NEW TO BLOCKSQUARE?
**************************</p>
<p>Visit the webpage ➡️ <a href="https://blocksquare.io/">https://blocksquare.io</a>
Check the docs ➡️ <a href="https://docs.blocksquare.io/">https://docs.blocksquare.io</a>
Book a call ➡️ <a href="https://blocksquare.typeform.com/to/BsDXI1">https://blocksquare.typeform.com/to/BsDXI1</a></p>
<p>**Operate:**
Launch your marketplace ➡️ <a href="https://blocksquare.io/products/white-label-platform#delta">https://blocksquare.io/products/white-label-platform</a></p>
<p>**Follow:**
Discord 👉 h<a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/discord-invite">ttps://go.blocksquare.io/discord-invite
</a>Telegram 👉 ht<a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/telegram">tps://go.blocksquare.io/telegram
T</a>witter 👉 htt<a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/twitter">ps://go.blocksquare.io/twitter
Re</a>ddit 👉 http<a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/reddit">s://go.blocksquare.io/reddit
Fac</a>ebook 👉 https<a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/facebook">://go.blocksquare.io/facebook
Link</a>edIn 👉 https:<a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/linkedin">//go.blocksquare.io/linkedin</a></p>
<p>*Token:**
Where to buy BST?
MEXC➡️ <a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/mexc">https://go.blocksquare.io/mexc</a>
1inch➡️ <a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/1inch">https://go.blocksquare.io/1inch</a>
Matcha➡️ <a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/matcha">https://go.blocksquare.io/matcha</a>
Uniswap➡️ <a href="https://go.blocksquare.io/uniswap">https://go.blocksquare.io/uniswap</a></p>
<p>*Earn:**
Staking & more ➡️ <a href="https://app.oceanpoint.fi/">https://app.oceanpoint.fi</a>
View tokenized properties ➡️ <a href="https://marketplace.oceanpoint.fi/">https://marketplace.oceanpoint.fi</a></p>
</section>
|
Real World Asset Tokenization under future EU regulation (MiCA)
Finally clear regulatory framework — tokenization going mainstream?
Wild West vs. legal certainty
It has often been said, quite rightly, that the crypto industry has been like the Wild West. There was no specific regulation for crypto-based business models. The rules consisted of so-called “soft law,” various guidelines from the regulators, which were interpreted in their own way and modified as necessary. This chaotic and uncertain environment underscored the urgent need for a clear regulatory framework.
Even if the rules of the game were clear in one country, this provided absolutely no guarantee that a crypto project would not be subject to regulatory proceedings in another country. According to the logic of the so-called “reverse solicitation,” which we know from the systemic European securities regulation (MiFID II), if an individual’s participation in a crypto project (e.g., the purchase of a crypto asset) occurred solely at the initiative of that individual, without being actively targeted by the crypto project, the law of the country from which the crypto project was operating would apply. Of course, most crypto projects did not operate this way, as they actively marketed their projects online and through other digital channels. The reverse solicitation was thus not applicable, exposing crypto projects to significant risks, including the risk of class action lawsuits, which have gained momentum in the EU as a result of the Volkswagen case.
The belief of many that the lack of clarity of the legal rules meant that there was an opportunity to do business around any regulatory hurdles was mistaken. Serious projects, and this is not just true of the crypto industry, require legal predictability. Now, with the introduction of the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (“MiCA”), the European systemic regulation for the crypto industry, we finally have it. This brings a sigh of relief and a sense of reassurance to the industry.
Real World Asset Tokenization — the serious side of crypto business
There are many types of transactions involving crypto assets in different forms. Certainly, those where crypto assets form a bridge between the digital and the real are more complex than those that are exclusively linked to the crypto sphere. The complexity is primarily reflected in ensuring the entire transaction’s integrity. Without ensuring security for all participants, especially the weakest ones, which are usually retail investors, the whole project is exposed to too much risk to be sustainable in the long term.
Real World Assets (“RWA”) tokenization is an example of a bridge that involves converting rights attached to an asset into a digital token on a blockchain. With the tokenization process, illiquid or limited liquid assets become more liquid. In that sense, tokenization is only a process of converting the form of an asset into a digital token (i.e., a crypto asset). That also means that tokenization simply adds an extra (liquidity) layer on top of RWAs. The “old school” business with RWAs is mixed with blockchain technology, whose core purpose is the transfer of value in a digital form. A match made in heaven!
However, applying new approaches based on the technology to old types of transactions means that there is an unavoidable mixture of new and old, usually in the way of old rules and new forms of implementation.
RWAs under MiCA
RWAs are in many forms. They may be in the form of commodities, titles, or economic rights attached to the real estate, rights to intellectual property, etc.
…
Read full article on Blocksquare’s official blog here.
💌 Get in touch
For more details on how to get started with real estate tokenization, please get in touch using our contact form.
**************************
NEW TO BLOCKSQUARE?
**************************
Visit the webpage ➡️ https://blocksquare.io
Check the docs ➡️ https://docs.blocksquare.io
Book a call ➡️ https://blocksquare.typeform.com/to/BsDXI1
**Operate:**
Launch your marketplace ➡️ https://blocksquare.io/products/white-label-platform
**Follow:**
Discord 👉 https://go.blocksquare.io/discord-invite
Telegram 👉 https://go.blocksquare.io/telegram
Twitter 👉 https://go.blocksquare.io/twitter
Reddit 👉 https://go.blocksquare.io/reddit
Facebook 👉 https://go.blocksquare.io/facebook
LinkedIn 👉 https://go.blocksquare.io/linkedin
*Token:**
Where to buy BST?
MEXC➡️ https://go.blocksquare.io/mexc
1inch➡️ https://go.blocksquare.io/1inch
Matcha➡️ https://go.blocksquare.io/matcha
Uniswap➡️ https://go.blocksquare.io/uniswap
*Earn:**
Staking & more ➡️ https://app.oceanpoint.fi
View tokenized properties ➡️ https://marketplace.oceanpoint.fi
|
46a1c187-4e67-5964-8ffa-98a226a3d225
|
25/08/2025 16:03:11
|
|
https://medium.com/literally-literary/summa-cum-laude-805ea9c5b96d
|
medium.com
|
Summa Cum Laude
|
There Is Much to Be Said for Ambition Among the Not Especially Bright.
|
Miles White
|
https://medium.com/@TheCanvasSextet
|
805ea9c5b96d
|
3 min
|
2017-11-27T19:53:07.655000
|
2017-11-30T10:36:00.882000
|
2018-02-13T02:19:16.974000
| 1 | 205 |
en
|
Fiction,Short Story,Literature,Literally Literary,Flash Fiction
|
<section>
<p>There Is Much to Be Said for Ambition Among the Not Especially Bright.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/960/1*nNJFtrnSgLF8jYpldZuC4w.jpeg" width="960" height="640" loading="lazy" />
<p>It had been a long semester. Everybody was tired, but it was that time in the course of things when students were expected to be both tired and pissed off. Papers, seminars, lectures — why wouldn’t they be tired and pissed off, especially those who were not doing all that well? Then there were those who were tired, pissed off, and desperate. Dr. Hadley Von Lubren had seen them all come and go. Nothing surprised him anymore in terms of the infinite ways in which students lied, cheated and connived to get a better grade than they worked for or deserved. Few of them took his class in American literature seriously. They took it because they considered it an easy grade, which is why he had decided he would show them — his classes were merciless; he spared no one.</p>
<p>Sloppy or poor work produced a failing grade. If they took his course as lightweight they soon discovered they had gravely miscalculated. They were doomed as surely as Captain Ahab’s fish. But just as surely as the captain of the Pequod did not foresee the resourcefulness of Moby Dick, neither did Professor Hadley Von Lubren of York count on the wiles of Clarissa Louise Brewster of Montpelier. It must also be said however, that Professor Von Lubren was a man not unlike Captain Ahab, which is to say, one who was susceptible to grave misadventure.</p>
<p>Von Lubren had a particular affinity for Faulkner, Hemingway, Melville, and Mailer. His short story tastes ran from Fitzgerald and Poe to Salinger and Updike, though he never strayed far from Faulkner, whose <em>A Rose for Emily</em> had haunted him since his youth. He had himself acquired a name with the novel <em>A Man of Good Style</em> and a story collection<em>. </em>He made a modest living at a small private college in New England that drew students from good families whose wealth, political connections and donations to the school endowment meant they were all privileged; they occupied seats paid for by their parents regardless of whether or not they were earned by merit. Von Lubren violently resisted this calculation and regularly flunked without a sniff students whose tuition was paid for by wealthy alumni connected to the board of directors.</p>
<p>Clarissa was not wealthy or well connected but she was dedicated. She came to every class and worked hard. The problem was that she was mediocre; she could not generate a fresh sentence if she spent a week working on it. Oh, she was eager enough, and when it came down to the final class grade she asked for a private consultation in which she made it abundantly clear how far she was willing to go to earn a high mark. She wanted to know if there was <em>anything</em> she could do to improve her grade, to which Von Lubren curtly replied, <em>Well, what did you have in mind?</em></p>
<p>She unzipped his trousers and performed an act on him that would have been illegal 50 years ago. Despite his misgivings, Dr. Von Lubren did not, could not resist, and gave in to his passions, although Clarissa showed little shame in satisfying them as she looked up into his eyes to seal the deal. She put on a diplomatic coyness as he announced <em>Well, I suppose all things considered, would an ‘A’ be satisfactory for the course?</em> It would. As she gathered herself to leave, Von Lubren was curious about one thing. <em>By the way,</em> he asked her, <em>how are you doing in all your other classes?</em> She gently wiped her lips. <em>I’m a straight ‘A’ student, </em>she said. <em>I’m at the top of my class.</em> With that she closed the door, and Von Lubren sat at his window watching students dart across campus on their way to morning classes, not sure whether he was Ahab or the whale.</p>
</section>
|
Summa Cum Laude
There Is Much to Be Said for Ambition Among the Not Especially Bright.
Nothing surprised Von Lubren anymore about the ways students cheated and connived to get a better grade. (Pixabay)
It had been a long semester. Everybody was tired, but it was that time in the course of things when students were expected to be both tired and pissed off. Papers, seminars, lectures — why wouldn’t they be tired and pissed off, especially those who were not doing all that well? Then there were those who were tired, pissed off, and desperate. Dr. Hadley Von Lubren had seen them all come and go. Nothing surprised him anymore in terms of the infinite ways in which students lied, cheated and connived to get a better grade than they worked for or deserved. Few of them took his class in American literature seriously. They took it because they considered it an easy grade, which is why he had decided he would show them — his classes were merciless; he spared no one.
Sloppy or poor work produced a failing grade. If they took his course as lightweight they soon discovered they had gravely miscalculated. They were doomed as surely as Captain Ahab’s fish. But just as surely as the captain of the Pequod did not foresee the resourcefulness of Moby Dick, neither did Professor Hadley Von Lubren of York count on the wiles of Clarissa Louise Brewster of Montpelier. It must also be said however, that Professor Von Lubren was a man not unlike Captain Ahab, which is to say, one who was susceptible to grave misadventure.
Von Lubren had a particular affinity for Faulkner, Hemingway, Melville, and Mailer. His short story tastes ran from Fitzgerald and Poe to Salinger and Updike, though he never strayed far from Faulkner, whose A Rose for Emily had haunted him since his youth. He had himself acquired a name with the novel A Man of Good Style and a story collection. He made a modest living at a small private college in New England that drew students from good families whose wealth, political connections and donations to the school endowment meant they were all privileged; they occupied seats paid for by their parents regardless of whether or not they were earned by merit. Von Lubren violently resisted this calculation and regularly flunked without a sniff students whose tuition was paid for by wealthy alumni connected to the board of directors.
Clarissa was not wealthy or well connected but she was dedicated. She came to every class and worked hard. The problem was that she was mediocre; she could not generate a fresh sentence if she spent a week working on it. Oh, she was eager enough, and when it came down to the final class grade she asked for a private consultation in which she made it abundantly clear how far she was willing to go to earn a high mark. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to improve her grade, to which Von Lubren curtly replied, Well, what did you have in mind?
She unzipped his trousers and performed an act on him that would have been illegal 50 years ago. Despite his misgivings, Dr. Von Lubren did not, could not resist, and gave in to his passions, although Clarissa showed little shame in satisfying them as she looked up into his eyes to seal the deal. She put on a diplomatic coyness as he announced Well, I suppose all things considered, would an ‘A’ be satisfactory for the course? It would. As she gathered herself to leave, Von Lubren was curious about one thing. By the way, he asked her, how are you doing in all your other classes? She gently wiped her lips. I’m a straight ‘A’ student, she said. I’m at the top of my class. With that she closed the door, and Von Lubren sat at his window watching students dart across campus on their way to morning classes, not sure whether he was Ahab or the whale.
|
050cbbed-adca-59a2-9fa1-a6ac9bb0d620
|
25/08/2025 16:03:11
|
|
https://medium.com/siliconindia/microsoft-to-buy-israeli-cloud-management-firm-6849e49a5fa8
|
medium.com
|
Microsoft To Buy Israeli Cloud Management Firm
|
Microsoft has said it will procure Israel-based cloud administration organization Cloudyn.
|
SiliconIndia
|
https://medium.com/@williamsmith2195
|
6849e49a5fa8
|
1 min
|
2017-11-30T07:00:56.733000
|
2017-11-30T07:11:15.884000
|
2017-11-30T07:18:29.639000
| 0 | 5 |
en
|
Microsoft,Apple,Samsung,Technology,Cloud Computing
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/701/1*UPzEnj-i0AUwEbAdLUjI1w.png" width="701" height="446" loading="lazy" />
<p>Microsoft has said it will procure Israel-based cloud administration organization Cloudyn.</p>
<p>“Microsoft has consented to an authoritative arrangement to get Cloudyn, an imaginative organization that helps endeavors and oversaw specialist organizations enhance their interests in cloud benefits,” the product goliath reported.</p>
<p>“This procurement fits solidly into our sense of duty regarding engage clients with the instruments they have to represent their cloud reception and understand the key advantages of a worldwide, trusted, canny cloud,” said Jeremy Winter, Director of Program Management, Microsoft Azure Security and Operations Management.</p>
<p><em><strong><</em>a href="</strong>http://www.siliconindia.com/news/business/Microsoft-To-Buy-Israeli-Cloud-Management-Firm-nid-203415-cid-3.html">Read More</a></p>
<h1>Also Read:</h1>
<h3>-<a href="http://www.siliconindia.com/news/business/Apple-Cisco-To-Help-Firms-Get-Cyber-Security-Insurance-Discounts-nid-203385-cid-3.html"> Apple, Cisco To Help Firms Get Cyber Security Insurance Discounts</a></h3>
<h3>-<a href="http://www.siliconindia.com/news/business/Samsung-Speeds-Up-VR-Business-In-US-nid-203367-cid-3.html">Samsung Speeds Up VR Business In U.S.</a></h3>
</section>
|
Microsoft To Buy Israeli Cloud Management Firm
Microsoft
Microsoft has said it will procure Israel-based cloud administration organization Cloudyn.
“Microsoft has consented to an authoritative arrangement to get Cloudyn, an imaginative organization that helps endeavors and oversaw specialist organizations enhance their interests in cloud benefits,” the product goliath reported.
“This procurement fits solidly into our sense of duty regarding engage clients with the instruments they have to represent their cloud reception and understand the key advantages of a worldwide, trusted, canny cloud,” said Jeremy Winter, Director of Program Management, Microsoft Azure Security and Operations Management.
Read More
Also Read:
- Apple, Cisco To Help Firms Get Cyber Security Insurance Discounts
-Samsung Speeds Up VR Business In U.S.
|
0f5bff5a-41a1-5553-bdc9-ae7625d39c4c
|
25/08/2025 16:03:12
|
|
https://medium.com/@cheezycode/ref-vs-out-c-clear-explanation-with-examples-350750b034d0
|
medium.com
|
Ref Vs Out C#: Clear Explanation With Examples
|
Learn about Ref and Out parameters. In this video, you will learn about the differences and similarities between ref and out parameters.
|
CheezyCode
|
https://medium.com/@cheezycode
|
350750b034d0
| null |
0 min
|
2017-06-05T17:23:46.411000
|
2017-06-05T17:26:42.990000
|
2017-06-05T17:26:44
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Coding,Csharp,Programming,Interview Questions,Technical Interview
|
<section>
<p></p>
<p>Learn about Ref and Out parameters. In this video, you will learn about the differences and similarities between ref and out parameters.</p>
<p>This video contains illustrative examples of both the parameters.
Examples demonstrating Ref Vs Out Parameters.</p>
<p>Which one to choose, what are their differences?</p>
<p>Let us know about your feedback in the comments below.</p>
<p>Read about Ref And Out Parameters:
<a href="http://www.cheezycode.com/2016/06/ref-and-out-parameters-in-methods.html">www.cheezycode.com/2016/06/ref-and-out-parameters-in-methods.html</a></p>
<p>Our Full C-sharp Series:
<a href="http://www.cheezycode.com/p/c-tutorial-with-examples.html">http://www.cheezycode.com/p/c-tutorial-with-examples.html</a></p>
<p>We are social. Follow us at —
Website — <a href="http://www.cheezycode.com">http://www.cheezycode.com</a>
Facebook — <a href="http://www.facebook.com/cheezycode">http://www.facebook.com/cheezycode</a>
Twitter — <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cheezycode">http://www.twitter.com/cheezycode</a></p>
</section>
|
Ref Vs Out C#: Clear Explanation With Examples
Learn about Ref and Out parameters. In this video, you will learn about the differences and similarities between ref and out parameters.
This video contains illustrative examples of both the parameters.
Examples demonstrating Ref Vs Out Parameters.
Which one to choose, what are their differences?
Let us know about your feedback in the comments below.
Read about Ref And Out Parameters:
www.cheezycode.com/2016/06/ref-and-out-parameters-in-methods.html
Our Full C-sharp Series:
http://www.cheezycode.com/p/c-tutorial-with-examples.html
We are social. Follow us at —
Website — http://www.cheezycode.com
Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/cheezycode
Twitter — http://www.twitter.com/cheezycode
|
4853e722-19cd-59b7-b6ab-c4ebccd7963f
|
25/08/2025 16:03:13
|
https://medium.com/@nitinkadam70/5-must-visit-websites-for-the-lifelong-learner-f09ef3c359cd
|
medium.com
|
5 Must-Visit Websites for the Lifelong Learner
|
Are you looking for some great resources to continue your learning journey? Look no further! Here are five interesting sights that are…
|
Nitin kadam
|
https://medium.com/@nitinkadam70
|
f09ef3c359cd
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*T18Og2yYBe28A076
|
2 min
|
2023-01-12T05:52:31.507000
|
2023-01-12T05:55:03.777000
|
2023-01-12T05:55:11.800000
| 0 | 38 |
en
|
Learning And Development,Learning,Willingness,Motivation,Productivity
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/4514/0*T18Og2yYBe28A076" width="4514" height="3385" loading="lazy" />
<p>Are you looking for some great resources to continue your learning journey? Look no further! Here are five interesting sights that are perfect for people who are willing to learn.</p>
<p>Khan Academy: This non-profit educational organization provides free online courses and resources for a wide range of subjects, including math, science, history, and more. Khan Academy’s mission is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. With over 100,000 practice questions, interactive exercises, and instructional videos, Khan Academy is a great resource for anyone looking to improve their skills or learn something new.</p>
<p>Coursera: This online learning platform partners with universities and organizations to offer thousands of courses in a wide range of subjects. From computer science and business to art and music, Coursera has something for everyone. With flexible deadlines and the ability to earn a certificate of completion, Coursera is a great resource for anyone looking to advance their career or learn something new.</p>
<p>Udemy: This online learning platform offers a wide range of courses, including professional development and personal interest courses. With over 130,000 courses and 24 million students, Udemy is one of the largest online learning platforms in the world. Whether you’re looking to learn a new skill or pursue a hobby, Udemy has something for you.</p>
<p>Ted Talks: This website features talks on a wide range of subjects, from science and technology to arts and culture. With over 3,000 talks and counting, Ted Talks is a great resource for anyone looking to expand their knowledge and learn from some of the most accomplished minds in the world.</p>
<p>The Great Courses: This American company provides college-level video and audio courses on a wide range of subjects, including science, history, literature, and more. With over 800 courses, The Great Courses is a great resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of a particular subject.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5101/0*HQ8xigCR7U8i2mrE" width="5101" height="3401" loading="lazy" />
<p>In conclusion, these five sights are great resources for anyone who is willing to learn. Whether you’re looking to improve your skills, advance your career, or simply learn something new, these sights have something for you. So why wait? Start exploring these sights today and take your learning journey to the next level! Thank you:)</p>
</section>
|
5 Must-Visit Websites for the Lifelong Learner
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Are you looking for some great resources to continue your learning journey? Look no further! Here are five interesting sights that are perfect for people who are willing to learn.
Khan Academy: This non-profit educational organization provides free online courses and resources for a wide range of subjects, including math, science, history, and more. Khan Academy’s mission is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. With over 100,000 practice questions, interactive exercises, and instructional videos, Khan Academy is a great resource for anyone looking to improve their skills or learn something new.
Coursera: This online learning platform partners with universities and organizations to offer thousands of courses in a wide range of subjects. From computer science and business to art and music, Coursera has something for everyone. With flexible deadlines and the ability to earn a certificate of completion, Coursera is a great resource for anyone looking to advance their career or learn something new.
Udemy: This online learning platform offers a wide range of courses, including professional development and personal interest courses. With over 130,000 courses and 24 million students, Udemy is one of the largest online learning platforms in the world. Whether you’re looking to learn a new skill or pursue a hobby, Udemy has something for you.
Ted Talks: This website features talks on a wide range of subjects, from science and technology to arts and culture. With over 3,000 talks and counting, Ted Talks is a great resource for anyone looking to expand their knowledge and learn from some of the most accomplished minds in the world.
The Great Courses: This American company provides college-level video and audio courses on a wide range of subjects, including science, history, literature, and more. With over 800 courses, The Great Courses is a great resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of a particular subject.
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
In conclusion, these five sights are great resources for anyone who is willing to learn. Whether you’re looking to improve your skills, advance your career, or simply learn something new, these sights have something for you. So why wait? Start exploring these sights today and take your learning journey to the next level! Thank you:)
|
4b10c9d0-27c6-5fca-96e5-47297b409bf4
|
25/08/2025 16:03:13
|
https://medium.com/@whitewolfsports/david-johnson-cardinals-rb-8254c62582a1
|
medium.com
|
David Johnson | Cardinals RB
|
Johnson had 16 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Patriots.
|
White Wolf Staff
|
https://medium.com/@whitewolfsports
|
8254c62582a1
| null |
0 min
|
2016-09-12T16:57:18.537000
|
2016-09-12T16:59:46.806000
|
2016-09-12T16:59:47.343000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Fantasy Football News
|
<section>
<p>Johnson had 16 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Patriots.</p>
<p>He also added 4 catches for 43 yards. Johnson’s long run of 45-yards was a video-game-like run as he got through the line of scrimmage and bursted down the right side. Chris Johnson only got one carry behind David. Johnson is obviously someone that’s going to be in your lineup every week, no matter the matchup.</p>
</section>
|
David Johnson | Cardinals RB
Johnson had 16 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Patriots.
He also added 4 catches for 43 yards. Johnson’s long run of 45-yards was a video-game-like run as he got through the line of scrimmage and bursted down the right side. Chris Johnson only got one carry behind David. Johnson is obviously someone that’s going to be in your lineup every week, no matter the matchup.
|
6ac44c9d-7cb5-5535-8d92-4edd3bdd5c57
|
25/08/2025 16:03:15
|
https://medium.com/@Infogram/three-awesome-features-for-interactivity-and-animated-data-storytelling-303ee616bca4
|
medium.com
|
Three Awesome Features for Interactivity and Animated Data Storytelling
|
Numbers on a spreadsheet don’t have the power to entice and interact with people the way moving stories do. We gravitate towards…
|
Infogram
|
https://medium.com/@Infogram
|
303ee616bca4
|
2 min
|
2018-07-12T18:34:25.805000
|
2018-07-03T14:35:41
|
2018-07-12T19:37:06.644000
| 0 | 4 |
en
|
UX,Data Visualization,Animation,Storytelling,Infographics
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1510/1*xRAyYJCVlcdRpH0pqi9tjg.png" width="1510" height="701" loading="lazy" />
<p>Numbers on a spreadsheet don’t have the power to entice and interact with people the way moving stories do. We gravitate towards interactive content that responds to our gestures and indulges our curiosity. That’s why Infogram has introduced three new powerful features designed to help you build unforgettable stories.</p>
<h1>Object Animations</h1>
<p>Take your stories to the next level with object animations. Now you can have objects appear however you’d like as viewers scroll through your infographics, dashboards, and reports. You can set your animations to zoom, fade, bounce, flip, and slide effortlessly into your work — grabbing your viewer’s attention and keeping them engaged.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/600/0*kT-R8rEpy9NCkgnD" width="600" height="403" loading="lazy" />
<h2>Scroll-Activated Chart Animations</h2>
<p>Infogram has always had subtle animations that appear when charts load on a page. But now, charts can load one by one with the viewer as they scroll through your work — leaving them pleasantly surprised by the movement, excited to click and explore further.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/600/0*k66RHnC6h6UpojEs" width="600" height="407" loading="lazy" />
<h2>Interactivity Hints</h2>
<p>There’s no point in spending time building a beautiful interactive project if nobody knows they can interact with it. We’ve added slick interactivity hints that you can turn on, alerting your viewer to layers of additional helpful material. Nobody will miss your links, tooltips, zoomable maps, legends, or tabs every again.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/600/0*wvn-5fAdgwGjLlPy" width="600" height="483" loading="lazy" />
<p>Add engaging, clickable content to your website, blog, or business pages. We know you have an amazing story to tell — now you have the tools you need to get it done. Sign up or log in to Infogram to build your own moving data stories. For full details visit <a href="https://support.infogram.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006468974-Enhanced-chart-and-map-interactivity-and-animated-data-storytelling">our support page</a>.</p>
<h2><a href="https://infogram.com/">Get animated with Infogram</a></h2>
<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://infogram.com</em>/blog/interactivity-and-animated-data-storytelling/">infogram.com</a> on July 3, 2018.</p>
</section>
|
Three Awesome Features for Interactivity and Animated Data Storytelling
Numbers on a spreadsheet don’t have the power to entice and interact with people the way moving stories do. We gravitate towards interactive content that responds to our gestures and indulges our curiosity. That’s why Infogram has introduced three new powerful features designed to help you build unforgettable stories.
Object Animations
Take your stories to the next level with object animations. Now you can have objects appear however you’d like as viewers scroll through your infographics, dashboards, and reports. You can set your animations to zoom, fade, bounce, flip, and slide effortlessly into your work — grabbing your viewer’s attention and keeping them engaged.
Scroll-Activated Chart Animations
Infogram has always had subtle animations that appear when charts load on a page. But now, charts can load one by one with the viewer as they scroll through your work — leaving them pleasantly surprised by the movement, excited to click and explore further.
Interactivity Hints
There’s no point in spending time building a beautiful interactive project if nobody knows they can interact with it. We’ve added slick interactivity hints that you can turn on, alerting your viewer to layers of additional helpful material. Nobody will miss your links, tooltips, zoomable maps, legends, or tabs every again.
Add engaging, clickable content to your website, blog, or business pages. We know you have an amazing story to tell — now you have the tools you need to get it done. Sign up or log in to Infogram to build your own moving data stories. For full details visit our support page.
Get animated with Infogram
Originally published at infogram.com on July 3, 2018.
|
396b6509-98f6-5554-b2f8-a6950baa319e
|
25/08/2025 16:03:15
|
|
https://medium.com/@CALshuts32211/hierarchy-in-web-design-the-art-amp-amp-science-of-being-unforgettable-2e9f62800ea4
|
medium.com
|
Hierarchy in Web Design: The Art &amp; Science of Being Unforgettable
| null |
Luis Brandy
|
https://medium.com/@CALshuts32211
|
2e9f62800ea4
| null |
4 min
|
2017-06-22T15:19:08.713000
|
2017-06-22T15:19:09.424000
|
2017-06-22T15:19:10.536000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Feed 7 Education
|
<section>
<p>Let’s get down to brass tacks. There’s one fundamental goal to every digital marketing campaign — <em>be unforgettable</em> (in a good way). In this post, discover how user interface (UI) design hierarchy helps keep your college or university’s brand top-of-mind, when used properly.</p>
<p>Here’s some good news for you: Most of what your target audience is looking at right now on the Internet is forgettable. Why? Because your competition is doing the following:</p>
<p>Using the majority of their website real estate to answer questions their audience is <strong>not</strong> asking,</p>
<p>Ignoring the questions their audience wants to have answered, or,</p>
<p>Answering the questions of their audience without using the <a href="http://ift.tt/2apYPaM">principles of web writing that converts.</a></p>
<p>Good digital marketing begins with knowing the questions your audience is asking and answering them.</p>
<p>But the next step in digital marketing (and almost as important) is knowing how to make your answers stick in the minds of your audience.</p>
<p><strong>So how can you set yourself apart from other college and university websites and make yourself unforgettable?</strong></p>
<p>In a previous post, I shared <a href="http://ift.tt/2sFG2hO">5 Web Writing Secrets</a> that lead to higher conversions with you.</p>
<p>But in this post, I want to tell you about the science behind design hierarchy and how it makes your brand stick in the minds of your audience.</p>
<p><strong>First, what is web design hierarchy?</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://ift.tt/2rVvDl6">A hierarchy is</a> “any system of persons or things ranked one above another.” Hierarchies are designed to give order and organization to whatever entity they are applied to.</p>
<p>To apply this to web design, you have to think of all the elements on the page and rank them in order of elements having the greatest importance to your audience to those least important.</p>
<p>Typically, the concepts and ideas your audience <em>must</em> remember are ranked as most important.</p>
<p>Those elements of the page that would just be nice for them to remember are relatively less important and don’t need as much emphasis.</p>
<p>If the page has a properly built web design hierarchy, your reader will naturally be drawn to the most important elements first and then pulled into the rest of the content.</p>
<p><strong>Techniques to Create a Web Design Hierarchy</strong></p>
<p>A web design hierarchy is created through the use of visually contrasting elements or contrast in writing style (such as the cadence of the writing).</p>
<p>Here are some techniques to create visual contrast on your page:</p>
<p><strong>Emphasis Techniques</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Typography.</strong> Using different font types on your page will create contrast and help your reader to discern the hierarchy you designed for the page. A good rule of thumb from graphic design is to use at least two contrasting font types (a serif and a san serif font combo is preferred) with no more than three.</li>
<li><strong>Text Size.</strong> Generally speaking, the larger the font size, the greater the importance. When all of your text is the same size, there’s little to no contrast and the reader will have a difficult time seeing the order of the ideas on your page. Having the same-size font across your page decreases scannability, which will bounce many of your prospective readers from the page.</li>
<li><strong>Text Color.</strong> Contrasting colors will help draw your visitor’s attention to the concepts you need your audience to remember. Note that there are certain colors that draw attention better than others. For example, red has a greater intensity than blue, and so produces a naturally greater emphasis. <strong>Use color sparingly, though….too much is overwhelming and needs to be part of a greater design look.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Text Weight.</strong> Bold, italics, normal, thin, and “ultrathin” are common descriptions of text weight that you’ll see.</li>
<li><strong>Text Style.</strong> Take certain parts of your text and write them in all caps to bring emphasis to them.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Combining these different techniques can increase the ranking of an element by producing greater emphasis.</strong></p>
<p>For example, if you want a header to stand out from the body text, you’ll at least want to increase the text size and change the text color and typography.</p>
<p>A text-based hierarchy is pretty easy to see here in this example:</p>
<p><strong>Header 1</strong> <strong>Header 2</strong> <strong>Header 3</strong></p>
<p>Body Text</p>
<p><strong>How do you choose the colors and typography for your web design hierarchy?</strong></p>
<p>For most colleges and university websites, you’ll simply take the colors and fonts already in your brand elements such as your logo.</p>
<p><strong>De-Emphasis Techniques</strong></p>
<p>Instead of adding emphasis to make an element stand out, you can choose to de-emphasize it.</p>
<p>For example, you can de-emphasize image captions by decreasing their text size, changing the text’s typography, or changing the text color to a color with less intensity.</p>
<p>This will decrease the image caption’s place in the web design hierarchy, which will make the other elements, like your body text, stand out all the more.</p>
<p><strong>Remember that often in design, less is more.</strong></p>
<p>The overuse of any of these emphasis techniques will begin to have a counter-effect as the level of contrast declines.</p>
<p>De-emphasizing certain elements so that they’re lower in the web design hierarchy is important so that visual contrast is maintained.</p>
<p>AN EXAMPLE OF OVEREMPHASIS IS WHEN PEOPLE TYPE IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME. SOON, THE EMPHASIS EFFECT WEARS OFF AS CONTRAST IS THROWN OUT THE WINDOW.</p>
<p><strong>Dominance Technique</strong></p>
<p>Emphasis makes elements more notable through contrasting colors, styles, weights, and more. Dominance makes an element notable to the viewer through how common the element is on the page.</p>
<p>Paragraphs of text do not need great emphasis because they are already noticeable to the visitor by how much text is represented in the paragraph. You simply can’t help but notice a block of text on a page, even if it is not emphasized, because it is the dominant element.</p>
<p><strong>When using web design hierarchy, paragraphs are also visual elements that the visitor will notice, so pay attention to their size.</strong></p>
<p>The rule of thumb is that your text should have a mixture of short and long paragraphs ranging from 1–4 lines each.</p>
<p><strong>The Science Behind Web Design Hierarchy</strong></p>
<p>There’s a good, psychological reason that proper web design hierarchy helps visitors remember your content — chunking.</p>
<p>It’s long been known that the human brain commits small units of information, or chunks, to memory much easier than long strings of data.</p>
<p>This is why we “chunk” together important numbers that we need to remember, like phone numbers.</p>
<p>It’s much easier to remember this number (487) 251–3087 than this number 4872513087. Your brain feels more comfortable processing the number when it’s formatted in chunks as in the first example.</p>
<p>So tie a string on your finger and remember to use these tricks of web design hierarchy to make your content unforgettable.</p>
<p>For help with your website’s design and/or navigation hierarchy, <a href="http://ift.tt/1E6NmXo">please reach out to us here!</a></p>
<p>This post was originally published at: <a href="http://ift.tt/2rVxWVr">http://ift.tt/2rVxWVr</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://ift.tt/2sFnyxZ">Hierarchy in Web Design: The Art & Science of Bei</strong>ng Unforgettable - edSocialMedia
<em>Let's get down to brass tacks. There's one fundamental goal to every digital marketing campaign- be unforgettable (in a…</</a>em>ift.tt</p>
</section>
|
Hierarchy in Web Design: The Art & Science of Being Unforgettable
Let’s get down to brass tacks. There’s one fundamental goal to every digital marketing campaign — be unforgettable (in a good way). In this post, discover how user interface (UI) design hierarchy helps keep your college or university’s brand top-of-mind, when used properly.
Here’s some good news for you: Most of what your target audience is looking at right now on the Internet is forgettable. Why? Because your competition is doing the following:
Using the majority of their website real estate to answer questions their audience is not asking,
Ignoring the questions their audience wants to have answered, or,
Answering the questions of their audience without using the principles of web writing that converts.
Good digital marketing begins with knowing the questions your audience is asking and answering them.
But the next step in digital marketing (and almost as important) is knowing how to make your answers stick in the minds of your audience.
So how can you set yourself apart from other college and university websites and make yourself unforgettable?
In a previous post, I shared 5 Web Writing Secrets that lead to higher conversions with you.
But in this post, I want to tell you about the science behind design hierarchy and how it makes your brand stick in the minds of your audience.
First, what is web design hierarchy?
A hierarchy is “any system of persons or things ranked one above another.” Hierarchies are designed to give order and organization to whatever entity they are applied to.
To apply this to web design, you have to think of all the elements on the page and rank them in order of elements having the greatest importance to your audience to those least important.
Typically, the concepts and ideas your audience must remember are ranked as most important.
Those elements of the page that would just be nice for them to remember are relatively less important and don’t need as much emphasis.
If the page has a properly built web design hierarchy, your reader will naturally be drawn to the most important elements first and then pulled into the rest of the content.
Techniques to Create a Web Design Hierarchy
A web design hierarchy is created through the use of visually contrasting elements or contrast in writing style (such as the cadence of the writing).
Here are some techniques to create visual contrast on your page:
Emphasis Techniques
Typography. Using different font types on your page will create contrast and help your reader to discern the hierarchy you designed for the page. A good rule of thumb from graphic design is to use at least two contrasting font types (a serif and a san serif font combo is preferred) with no more than three.
Text Size. Generally speaking, the larger the font size, the greater the importance. When all of your text is the same size, there’s little to no contrast and the reader will have a difficult time seeing the order of the ideas on your page. Having the same-size font across your page decreases scannability, which will bounce many of your prospective readers from the page.
Text Color. Contrasting colors will help draw your visitor’s attention to the concepts you need your audience to remember. Note that there are certain colors that draw attention better than others. For example, red has a greater intensity than blue, and so produces a naturally greater emphasis. Use color sparingly, though….too much is overwhelming and needs to be part of a greater design look.
Text Weight. Bold, italics, normal, thin, and “ultrathin” are common descriptions of text weight that you’ll see.
Text Style. Take certain parts of your text and write them in all caps to bring emphasis to them.
Combining these different techniques can increase the ranking of an element by producing greater emphasis.
For example, if you want a header to stand out from the body text, you’ll at least want to increase the text size and change the text color and typography.
A text-based hierarchy is pretty easy to see here in this example:
Header 1 Header 2 Header 3
Body Text
How do you choose the colors and typography for your web design hierarchy?
For most colleges and university websites, you’ll simply take the colors and fonts already in your brand elements such as your logo.
De-Emphasis Techniques
Instead of adding emphasis to make an element stand out, you can choose to de-emphasize it.
For example, you can de-emphasize image captions by decreasing their text size, changing the text’s typography, or changing the text color to a color with less intensity.
This will decrease the image caption’s place in the web design hierarchy, which will make the other elements, like your body text, stand out all the more.
Remember that often in design, less is more.
The overuse of any of these emphasis techniques will begin to have a counter-effect as the level of contrast declines.
De-emphasizing certain elements so that they’re lower in the web design hierarchy is important so that visual contrast is maintained.
AN EXAMPLE OF OVEREMPHASIS IS WHEN PEOPLE TYPE IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME. SOON, THE EMPHASIS EFFECT WEARS OFF AS CONTRAST IS THROWN OUT THE WINDOW.
Dominance Technique
Emphasis makes elements more notable through contrasting colors, styles, weights, and more. Dominance makes an element notable to the viewer through how common the element is on the page.
Paragraphs of text do not need great emphasis because they are already noticeable to the visitor by how much text is represented in the paragraph. You simply can’t help but notice a block of text on a page, even if it is not emphasized, because it is the dominant element.
When using web design hierarchy, paragraphs are also visual elements that the visitor will notice, so pay attention to their size.
The rule of thumb is that your text should have a mixture of short and long paragraphs ranging from 1–4 lines each.
The Science Behind Web Design Hierarchy
There’s a good, psychological reason that proper web design hierarchy helps visitors remember your content — chunking.
It’s long been known that the human brain commits small units of information, or chunks, to memory much easier than long strings of data.
This is why we “chunk” together important numbers that we need to remember, like phone numbers.
It’s much easier to remember this number (487) 251–3087 than this number 4872513087. Your brain feels more comfortable processing the number when it’s formatted in chunks as in the first example.
So tie a string on your finger and remember to use these tricks of web design hierarchy to make your content unforgettable.
For help with your website’s design and/or navigation hierarchy, please reach out to us here!
This post was originally published at: http://ift.tt/2rVxWVr
Hierarchy in Web Design: The Art & Science of Being Unforgettable - edSocialMedia
Let's get down to brass tacks. There's one fundamental goal to every digital marketing campaign- be unforgettable (in a…ift.tt
|
0855aa8f-9360-5089-ad8e-c1e682a5c4a2
|
25/08/2025 16:03:31
|
https://aftvoices.org/corporatization-of-higher-education-in-florida-uff-pushes-back-dd057751a2f
|
medium.com
|
College is not a corporation: the union pushes back on corporatization on campus
|
Corporate culture wants to absorb our universities, our faculty, and our students and change the world to reflect its profit-driven agenda.
|
Jennifer Proffitt
|
https://medium.com/@jennifer.proffitt
|
dd057751a2f
|
5 min
|
2016-12-14T13:04:58.034000
|
2016-12-14T13:14:29.971000
|
2018-06-04T18:00:46.745000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Higher Education,Unions,Academic Freedom,Fight For Funding,Voices On Campus
|
<section>
<h1><strong>College is not a corporation: the union pushes back on corporatization on campus</strong></h1>
<p><strong>by Jennifer Proffitt</strong></p>
<p>The Academy has a long, cherished tradition of challenging dominant thought and the powers behind it, finding new ways of approaching old problems and exploring fresh solutions. That curiosity and willingness to question, that impulse to help students find ways to make the world a better place — that is what drew me to academia, and it’s what I’ve dedicated my life to.</p>
<p>But what happens if the worldview of one powerful institution begins to dominate higher education — especially if that worldview is narrowly constructed to place just one aspect of the human experience above others? That is what is happening today. The institution is the multi-national, neo-liberal corporate complex, and<strong> the narrow worldview is profit.</strong></p>
<p>Changes being made to higher education in Florida offer a glaring example of how <strong>corporate power is restructuring our cherished institutions</strong> to meet its worldview. Corporate culture wants to absorb our universities, our faculty, and our students into its complex and change the world to reflect its profit-driven agenda. Its efforts highlight how critical unions are for preserving higher education’s real role in society.</p>
<blockquote>Corporate culture wants to absorb our universities, our faculty, and our students into its complex and change the world to reflect its profit-driven agenda.</blockquote>
<p>The corporatization of higher education is a nationwide trend, but it’s affected Florida in particular, and in numerous detrimental ways. From the privatization of faculty research to university boards filled with business people and politicians rather than higher education professionals to a governor who treats every institution like a profit-driven business that should only be pumping out widgets, the corporatization of higher education is affecting all aspects of teaching, research and learning. The following account of what happened at State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) is just one example.</p>
<h3>Adopting business culture: no tenure for you</h3>
<p>In September 2015, despite opposition from faculty, students, community members, and current and former college administrators, the SCF Board of Trustees — who are all political appointees — voted 7–1 to eliminate the college system’s tenure-like continuing contracts for new faculty hired after July 1, 2016 (it is important to note that the only no vote came from the only SCF alumnus on the Board). This decision was first proposed the month before by Carlos Beruff, a multimillion dollar homebuilder and strong <a href="http://politics.heraldtribune.com/2015/05/15/some-decry-beruff-appointment-as-cronyism/">political supporter and confidant</a> of Governor Rick Scott who in 2016 ran for the U.S. Senate against Marco Rubio, hoping to benefit from the “anti-establishment” Trump wave. He made several proposals in August of 2015 before stepping down from the Board soon after.</p>
<p>As reported in the <a href="http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article37059513.html#storylink=cpy">Bradenton Herald</a>, the elimination of continuing contracts was “one of several policies he proposed in August aimed at bringing some of the Manatee County-based college board employment practices<strong> in line with private industry </strong>and other state organizations,” even though institutions of higher education are not and were never intended to be businesses. As if this idea weren’t bad enough, Beruff added insult to injury when he proposed that new faculty “bid” for their jobs, presumably in an attempt to lower salary costs. Fortunately, this proposal has not moved forward.</p>
<blockquote>Beruff added insult to injury when he proposed that new faculty “bid” for their jobs, presumably in an attempt to lower salary costs.</blockquote>
<p>The composition of this board offers clear and convincing evidence about the motives behind these changes. As reported by the <a href="http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article37056951.html">Bradenton Herald</a>, “SCF’s board of trustees is comprised entirely of members from private industry, including three in the construction trade, three in the finance sector, an insurance agent, a physician and the president of a Manatee County boat hull mold maker.” These private industry turned academic experts apparently know more than those directly affected by their rash decision making: faculty and others who argued that such an action would disadvantage the college since it would be the only one without continuing contracts and would make it more difficult to recruit and retain quality faculty.</p>
<p>Months later, a member of the SCF Board argued at the governor’s higher education summit — a gathering designed to plot a course for the future of higher education and a gathering at which planners brilliantly decided to exclude faculty from speaking — that all colleges should eliminate continuing contracts. “I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We’re the first ones to do this and people are still applying to come to our college. Our college has not closed down. The doom and gloom hasn’t happened.”</p>
<p>The end of continuing contracts for new faculty became official in January 2016, with the one no vote switching sides. As detailed by the <a href="http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article56746743.html#storylink=cpy">Bradenton Herald</a>, he “said doing away with continuing contracts will help SCF better compete with low-cost, for-profit colleges.” It is unclear how or why public education must compete with for-profit colleges for students, especially with the fall of so many of them in the last year or so, and it is unclear how eliminating due process lowers costs, but there it is.</p>
<blockquote>The insecurity of at-will employment allows political ideologues to get rid of faculty who do not toe the political and corporate line and leads to self-censorship that comes from fear of losing one’s job.</blockquote>
<p>What this “business model” intends to do is eliminate opposition by eliminating job security for faculty. The importance of tenure and tenure-like systems like continuing contracts includes the ability for faculty to teach and students to learn without the fear of undue influence of the political or ideological views of administrators, donors, politicians and others. The insecurity of at-will employment allows political ideologues to get rid of faculty who do not toe the political and corporate line and leads to self-censorship that comes from fear of losing one’s job. This clearly affects student learning, as one of the missions of higher education is to develop critical thinking skills that come from listening to differing points of view.</p>
<p>As a professor who studies political economy of media and who works to unpack (and hopefully dismantle) the structures of media power in our culture, what will become of that work if one of the mega-media conglomerates decides to “sponsor” my school after my rights of tenure and academic freedom are stripped away? What happens to my sisters and brothers in all fields who perhaps find a better way to do something or to understand a phenomenon if that new way conflicts with the profits of corporations sponsoring their own institutions? These fights aren’t just about faculty privilege and our basic rights as workers (although some forget that we are in fact workers). This is about the Academy’s survival and our role in helping the world build a brighter future.</p>
<h3>Organize</h3>
<p>Immediately after the SCF Board’s decision, faculty began to organize to become a chapter of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF). Organizing is the only way to counter the corporatization and politicization of higher education. UFF knows we cannot count on politicians and administrators to protect academic freedom and forms of tenure allowed by Florida law and rule, but we can represent our members in the maintenance of these long cherished principles of academia.</p>
<p>Together we are stronger.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/4272/1*xAhtOqODhdYJ78yiAoYjqA.jpeg" width="4272" height="2848" loading="lazy" />
<p><em>Jennifer Proffitt is a communications professor at Florida State University and the president of United Faculty of Florida.</em></p>
</section>
|
Nothing wrong with a School of Business, but when corporate culture takes over the university system, we have a problem. iStock image
College is not a corporation: the union pushes back on corporatization on campus
by Jennifer Proffitt
The Academy has a long, cherished tradition of challenging dominant thought and the powers behind it, finding new ways of approaching old problems and exploring fresh solutions. That curiosity and willingness to question, that impulse to help students find ways to make the world a better place — that is what drew me to academia, and it’s what I’ve dedicated my life to.
But what happens if the worldview of one powerful institution begins to dominate higher education — especially if that worldview is narrowly constructed to place just one aspect of the human experience above others? That is what is happening today. The institution is the multi-national, neo-liberal corporate complex, and the narrow worldview is profit.
Changes being made to higher education in Florida offer a glaring example of how corporate power is restructuring our cherished institutions to meet its worldview. Corporate culture wants to absorb our universities, our faculty, and our students into its complex and change the world to reflect its profit-driven agenda. Its efforts highlight how critical unions are for preserving higher education’s real role in society.
Corporate culture wants to absorb our universities, our faculty, and our students into its complex and change the world to reflect its profit-driven agenda.
The corporatization of higher education is a nationwide trend, but it’s affected Florida in particular, and in numerous detrimental ways. From the privatization of faculty research to university boards filled with business people and politicians rather than higher education professionals to a governor who treats every institution like a profit-driven business that should only be pumping out widgets, the corporatization of higher education is affecting all aspects of teaching, research and learning. The following account of what happened at State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) is just one example.
Adopting business culture: no tenure for you
In September 2015, despite opposition from faculty, students, community members, and current and former college administrators, the SCF Board of Trustees — who are all political appointees — voted 7–1 to eliminate the college system’s tenure-like continuing contracts for new faculty hired after July 1, 2016 (it is important to note that the only no vote came from the only SCF alumnus on the Board). This decision was first proposed the month before by Carlos Beruff, a multimillion dollar homebuilder and strong political supporter and confidant of Governor Rick Scott who in 2016 ran for the U.S. Senate against Marco Rubio, hoping to benefit from the “anti-establishment” Trump wave. He made several proposals in August of 2015 before stepping down from the Board soon after.
As reported in the Bradenton Herald, the elimination of continuing contracts was “one of several policies he proposed in August aimed at bringing some of the Manatee County-based college board employment practices in line with private industry and other state organizations,” even though institutions of higher education are not and were never intended to be businesses. As if this idea weren’t bad enough, Beruff added insult to injury when he proposed that new faculty “bid” for their jobs, presumably in an attempt to lower salary costs. Fortunately, this proposal has not moved forward.
Beruff added insult to injury when he proposed that new faculty “bid” for their jobs, presumably in an attempt to lower salary costs.
The composition of this board offers clear and convincing evidence about the motives behind these changes. As reported by the Bradenton Herald, “SCF’s board of trustees is comprised entirely of members from private industry, including three in the construction trade, three in the finance sector, an insurance agent, a physician and the president of a Manatee County boat hull mold maker.” These private industry turned academic experts apparently know more than those directly affected by their rash decision making: faculty and others who argued that such an action would disadvantage the college since it would be the only one without continuing contracts and would make it more difficult to recruit and retain quality faculty.
Months later, a member of the SCF Board argued at the governor’s higher education summit — a gathering designed to plot a course for the future of higher education and a gathering at which planners brilliantly decided to exclude faculty from speaking — that all colleges should eliminate continuing contracts. “I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We’re the first ones to do this and people are still applying to come to our college. Our college has not closed down. The doom and gloom hasn’t happened.”
The end of continuing contracts for new faculty became official in January 2016, with the one no vote switching sides. As detailed by the Bradenton Herald, he “said doing away with continuing contracts will help SCF better compete with low-cost, for-profit colleges.” It is unclear how or why public education must compete with for-profit colleges for students, especially with the fall of so many of them in the last year or so, and it is unclear how eliminating due process lowers costs, but there it is.
The insecurity of at-will employment allows political ideologues to get rid of faculty who do not toe the political and corporate line and leads to self-censorship that comes from fear of losing one’s job.
What this “business model” intends to do is eliminate opposition by eliminating job security for faculty. The importance of tenure and tenure-like systems like continuing contracts includes the ability for faculty to teach and students to learn without the fear of undue influence of the political or ideological views of administrators, donors, politicians and others. The insecurity of at-will employment allows political ideologues to get rid of faculty who do not toe the political and corporate line and leads to self-censorship that comes from fear of losing one’s job. This clearly affects student learning, as one of the missions of higher education is to develop critical thinking skills that come from listening to differing points of view.
As a professor who studies political economy of media and who works to unpack (and hopefully dismantle) the structures of media power in our culture, what will become of that work if one of the mega-media conglomerates decides to “sponsor” my school after my rights of tenure and academic freedom are stripped away? What happens to my sisters and brothers in all fields who perhaps find a better way to do something or to understand a phenomenon if that new way conflicts with the profits of corporations sponsoring their own institutions? These fights aren’t just about faculty privilege and our basic rights as workers (although some forget that we are in fact workers). This is about the Academy’s survival and our role in helping the world build a brighter future.
Organize
Immediately after the SCF Board’s decision, faculty began to organize to become a chapter of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF). Organizing is the only way to counter the corporatization and politicization of higher education. UFF knows we cannot count on politicians and administrators to protect academic freedom and forms of tenure allowed by Florida law and rule, but we can represent our members in the maintenance of these long cherished principles of academia.
Together we are stronger.
Jennifer Proffitt is a communications professor at Florida State University and the president of United Faculty of Florida.
|
f8ecb43e-fc8b-5985-b336-a9596a63440a
|
25/08/2025 16:03:32
|
|
https://medium.com/@lc_58715/labours-nightmare-tax-vs-a-record-breaking-ftse-spot-the-disconnect-47febdf0a8f9
|
medium.com
|
Labour’s Nightmare Tax vs. A Record-Breaking FTSE: Spot the Disconnect??
|
By Lane Clark of TPP.
|
Lane Clark TPP
|
https://medium.com/@lc_58715
|
47febdf0a8f9
|
1 min
|
2025-08-21T06:18:49.986000
|
2025-08-21T06:19:27.590000
|
2025-08-21T07:29:39.271000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Ftse 100,Labour,Tax,Lane Clark,TPP
|
<section>
<p>By Lane Clark of TPP.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/1*BRZBvpMqs_tvAWcvOePdUA.png" width="1024" height="1024" loading="lazy" />
<p>Labour’s Nightmare Tax vs. A Record-Breaking FTSE: Spot the Disconnect??</p>
<p>Yesterday perfectly summed up the contradiction of our economy right now.</p>
<p>On the one hand, Labour floated a policy so extreme it left millions of homeowners reeling, a yearly wealth tax on your own property. Think about that for a second. Buy your house, then pay rent to the government just to keep it. A tax so absurd it will give people nightmares.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the FTSE 100 surged to yet another all-time high.</p>
<p>If you think those two things are connected, think again. 🙄</p>
<p>The market rally is not thanks to Labour. The reality is far more uncomfortable for Reeves and Starmer:</p>
<p>UK bond yields are soaring. That tells you what the market really thinks of the UK’s economic outlook. 🤬</p>
<p>High yields = high risk. It’s a flashing warning sign that Labour’s tax-heavy policies are spooking investors.</p>
<p>The FTSE is climbing because of global strength and international flows, not because of Labour.</p>
<p>This is a classic case of propaganda versus reality. Labour will try to take credit for market highs. But the truth? The market is doing well in spite of them.</p>
<p>And if they move ahead with a yearly wealth tax on homes, the fallout could be catastrophic, not just for homeowners, but for confidence in the UK economy itself.</p>
<p>👉 What’s your view? Are markets strong enough to withstand Labour’s next moves, or are we sitting on the edge of a bigger crisis?</p>
<p>#TPP #Markets #FTSE100 #Labour #WealthTax #Investing #UKEconomy</p>
</section>
|
Labour’s Nightmare Tax vs. A Record-Breaking FTSE: Spot the Disconnect??
By Lane Clark of TPP.
Labour’s Nightmare Tax vs. A Record-Breaking FTSE: Spot the Disconnect??
Yesterday perfectly summed up the contradiction of our economy right now.
On the one hand, Labour floated a policy so extreme it left millions of homeowners reeling, a yearly wealth tax on your own property. Think about that for a second. Buy your house, then pay rent to the government just to keep it. A tax so absurd it will give people nightmares.
On the other hand, the FTSE 100 surged to yet another all-time high.
If you think those two things are connected, think again. 🙄
The market rally is not thanks to Labour. The reality is far more uncomfortable for Reeves and Starmer:
UK bond yields are soaring. That tells you what the market really thinks of the UK’s economic outlook. 🤬
High yields = high risk. It’s a flashing warning sign that Labour’s tax-heavy policies are spooking investors.
The FTSE is climbing because of global strength and international flows, not because of Labour.
This is a classic case of propaganda versus reality. Labour will try to take credit for market highs. But the truth? The market is doing well in spite of them.
And if they move ahead with a yearly wealth tax on homes, the fallout could be catastrophic, not just for homeowners, but for confidence in the UK economy itself.
👉 What’s your view? Are markets strong enough to withstand Labour’s next moves, or are we sitting on the edge of a bigger crisis?
#TPP #Markets #FTSE100 #Labour #WealthTax #Investing #UKEconomy
|
e7d1b11e-3666-52ec-b2bb-3e95d44d32d0
|
25/08/2025 16:03:32
|
|
https://medium.com/write-your-world/what-is-dejection-looks-like-511d92a90210
|
medium.com
|
What is dejection looks like
|
From my journal
|
Pragya _writes
|
https://medium.com/@pragyas009
|
511d92a90210
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*A7jEXd8lOGSrgv-p
|
2 min
|
2025-04-07T06:44:46.921000
|
2025-04-07T08:40:06.340000
|
2025-04-07T10:28:33.305000
| 2 | 9 |
en
|
Mental Health,Journal,Life,Mental Health Awareness
|
<section>
<p>From my journal</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/875/0*A7jEXd8lOGSrgv-p" width="875" height="1313" loading="lazy" />
<p>Photo taken by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@ficklesupreme">Maxim Simonov</a> on Unsplash</p>
<p><em>In order to know myself, I need to lose myself.</em> I feel like I don’t have anyone. I can do everything and yet I am bounded by the chain of my thoughts. What and how I don’t have answers, and the time is ticking away.</p>
<p>Being alone and single it is like a curse and a blessing in disguise. The to-do list keeps on increasing and I haven’t had a breakthrough yet. I am surrounded by everyone with ears, yet I have not a single person to share my misery with.</p>
<p><em>There is defiance in what I say, I wonder when I will be happy. Death, do you hear me? It is not my time yet.</em></p>
<p><em>Love seems to be lost, I don’t see it anywhere.</em> My motivation seems to be going away. The only thing that matters to me is just floating above the surface. Each day is the same. I have lost my youth to no fame. Friends and lovers have become distant, I am all by myself.</p>
<p>The less I trust, the more difficult it becomes. <em>There is growing anger inside me, does that mean I have started to regret?</em> Each day passes with a wish that remains unfulfilled. I have become accustomed to this life, or accepted my failure, defeat, my chance at life and yet I wish to be learning forever.<em> When I start again, I don’t want to stop.</em></p>
<p>I am losing parts of me, I don’t want help, neither do I want to recover, standing alone. Love pleases me, as much as it takes away from me. I feel vulnerable standing in my own shadow, scared like a little child to speak out.</p>
<p><em>There is anger, ready to burst into thousand pieces. This pent-up energy doesn’t seem to leave.</em></p>
<p>I am in agony; my mind is filled with a bug from it all. I don’t want to miss judge, so I smile, please show me kindness. And to no avail, I seem to be standing by myself. The spark seems to be going away, this is not the life I imagined it to be. <em>The little girl is desperate for me to wake up.</em></p>
<p>A quote to remember —</p>
<p><em>“The happiest people do not have the best of everything. Happy people make the best of everything.”</em></p>
</section>
|
What does dejection look like
From my journal
Photo taken by Maxim Simonov on Unsplash
In order to know myself, I need to lose myself. I feel like I don’t have anyone. I can do everything and yet I am bounded by the chain of my thoughts. What and how I don’t have answers, and the time is ticking away.
Being alone and single it is like a curse and a blessing in disguise. The to-do list keeps on increasing and I haven’t had a breakthrough yet. I am surrounded by everyone with ears, yet I have not a single person to share my misery with.
There is defiance in what I say, I wonder when I will be happy. Death, do you hear me? It is not my time yet.
Love seems to be lost, I don’t see it anywhere. My motivation seems to be going away. The only thing that matters to me is just floating above the surface. Each day is the same. I have lost my youth to no fame. Friends and lovers have become distant, I am all by myself.
The less I trust, the more difficult it becomes. There is growing anger inside me, does that mean I have started to regret? Each day passes with a wish that remains unfulfilled. I have become accustomed to this life, or accepted my failure, defeat, my chance at life and yet I wish to be learning forever. When I start again, I don’t want to stop.
I am losing parts of me, I don’t want help, neither do I want to recover, standing alone. Love pleases me, as much as it takes away from me. I feel vulnerable standing in my own shadow, scared like a little child to speak out.
There is anger, ready to burst into thousand pieces. This pent-up energy doesn’t seem to leave.
I am in agony; my mind is filled with a bug from it all. I don’t want to miss judge, so I smile, please show me kindness. And to no avail, I seem to be standing by myself. The spark seems to be going away, this is not the life I imagined it to be. The little girl is desperate for me to wake up.
A quote to remember —
“The happiest people do not have the best of everything. Happy people make the best of everything.”
|
248126f7-77b7-5f5a-be0b-97cf8f4711b9
|
25/08/2025 16:03:32
|
https://medium.com/@jepperstokholm/what-is-a-blockchain-do-you-know-the-basic-concepts-and-definitions-f340741a036e
|
medium.com
|
What Is a Blockchain — Do You Know The Basic Concepts and Definitions?
|
Everyone is talking about it. Some have even invested in it. But what is it?
|
Dr. Jeppe R. Stokholm
|
https://medium.com/@jepperstokholm
|
f340741a036e
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*NRkvLivo7QTM5VSx.
|
7 min
|
2018-03-07T13:31:26.739000
|
2018-03-07T13:39:12.887000
|
2018-06-11T07:43:07.257000
| 1 | 0 |
en
|
Bitcoin,Ether,Cryptocurrency,Blockchain,Fintech
|
<section>
<p>Everyone is talking about it. Some have even invested in it. But what is it?</p>
<p>Some people claim, that the blockchain technology is the foundational platform of the 4th Industrial Revolution. It establish a new era out of the Internet with openness, decentralisation and global inclusion, and it makes it possible to give free access to the transfer of assets without the use of any intermediary, such as banks, handling agents etc.</p>
<p>Most famous are the payment solutions, but the blockchain technology is much more than crypto currencies and crowdfunding events. The blockchain technology can support multiple features with smart contracts, from verification of ownership, title records and intellectual property to sophisticated health tech solutions and smart governance.</p>
<p>But once again: What is it?</p>
<p>From a technical point of view, a blockchain is a cryptographically list of records, that is secured in a chain of blocks. Each block is timestamped and refers to a previous block in the chain. The chain of blocks is then acting as a verified ledger of records and information, that is shared between all the participants in that specific blockchain.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/694/0*NRkvLivo7QTM5VSx." width="694" height="460" loading="lazy" />
<p>The blockchain technology is a revolution, but to understand the impact, some basic concepts and definitions must be known.</p>
<h3><strong>It All Started With a Timestamped Document</strong></h3>
<p>First time the blockchain was presented as a protocol was in 1991 in an article by Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta dealing with the challenges on how to time-stamp a digital document:</p>
<p>“The prospect of a world in which all text, audio, picture, and video documents are in digital form on easily modifiable media raises the issue of how to certify when a document was created or last changed. The problem is to time-stamp the data, not the medium. We propose computationally practical procedures for digital time-stamping of such documents so that it is infeasible for a user either to back-date or to forward-date his document, even with the collusion of a time-stamping service. Our procedures maintain complete privacy of the documents themselves, and require no record-keeping by the time-stamping service”<a href="https://social-blog.wix.com/manage-posts-modal/5a63b908c69806074b6e74c2/edit#_ftn1">[1]</a>.</p>
<p>In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto developed this idea further by presenting a new protocol for a cryptographic distributed trust technology, that aimed to create an open and decentralised financial network. The new protocol was called ”Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”.</p>
<p>The new network should be with no central server and outside the power and control of centralised state-authorities’ interactions.</p>
<p>Instead of a regulated closed monetary system (with third party access to monitor every single transaction), it should be run as an open and decentralised record of peer-to-peer transactions. And instead of intermediaries and handling agents, it should be run and maintained by the parties using the network, giving all participants an incentive to support the system.</p>
<h3>Basic Concepts and Definitions</h3>
<p>Satoshi Nakamoto’s idea was based on some technical concepts, and these concepts are in the following defined as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Nodes</a>: Any computer that connects to the network is called a node. Most nodes are performing rule verification and routing the data to peer connections. Nodes, that fully enforce all of the rules in the network, are called full nodes. Every full node can validate transactions.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Transaction</a>: A transaction is a transfer of value, that is submitted by a node to the network and collected into blocks. When submitted, the transaction is disseminated to all other nodes in the network. The nodes on the network then receive, process and validate each transaction. A validated transaction is not encrypted, so it is possible to browse and view every transaction collected into a block. Once a transaction is buried under enough confirmations, the transaction record can be considered irreversible.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Block</a>: Transaction data is permanently recorded in files called blocks. Every block contains a hash of the previous block, including a random number known as a nonce.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Hash</a>: A hash function is a mathematical algorithm solved by miners that maps data of arbitrary size to a bit string of a fixed size. It can be a picture (the input data) that is converted with a hash-function called SHA-256 into a string of numbers expressed in hexadecimal (the output data). The input data is often called the message, and the output is often called the hash value. The hash value uniquely identifies a piece of digital content (e.g. the picture) with a unique number (a string of letters, numbers and other symbols), that can be applied to only that specific content. If a small pixel in the picture is changed, it will no longer be identical with the unique number that is stored as the hash value in the blockchain.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Blockchain</a>: A blockchain is an electronic distributed ledger or list of entries shared by all nodes participating in a system based on the same protocol. Each block in the chain is guaranteed to come after the previous block chronologically, because the previous block’s hash value validated by miners using mathematical algorithms would otherwise not be known. Some examples of blockchains are the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Mining</a>: Mining is the process of adding transaction records to the ledger of past transactions. Mining allow nodes to reach a secure and tamper-resistant consensus. Not all nodes are mining (but instead doing peer-to-peer rule verification).</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Miners</a>: Miners are independent service providers with servers and computers, that host the decentralised network, handles mathematical algorithms through mining and execute smart code. Miners are paid transaction fees (if any) and are rewarded with tokens such as bitcoins, if their work create new value, for instance: A verified new block of hashes to the existing chain of blocks.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Token</a>: A token is a multi-purpose instrument and can be found in multiple functions, such as: A smart contract giving rights and obligations, a mining reward to miners, a crypto currency (coins), a digital share, a payment, a right to an (in)tangible asset, a right to real estate etc. Tokens can be used in new protocols and networks (protocol tokens) to create distributed application (app tokens). Tokens are not the same as coins, since tokens can perform more features, than a coin, including representing a store of value, a medium of exchange and a unit of account, i.e. be used as coins.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Coins</a>: Coins are not the same as tokens: Coins represents a store of value, a medium of exchange and a unit of account and can be defined by their limited use: Coins can be used as a payment and be traded between parties. If they perform more than that, it is not coins, but tokens.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Consensus</a>: Consensus is a specific set of rules, that all full nodes in the network will enforce when considering the validity of a block and its transactions. If participants in that process are preselected (e.g. governments or central banks), the ledger is permissioned. If the process is open to everyone (e.g. Bitcoin), the ledger is unpermissioned. To achieve network consensus, proof of work must be delivered. Adding new consensus rules can be done with a softfork, while removing any consensus rules requires a hardfork.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Fork</a>: A fork is a change to the protocol that creates two separate versions of the blockchain with a shared history.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Softfork</a>: A softfork is a change to the protocol wherein only previously valid blocks and/or transactions are made invalid. A softfork is backwards compatible as long as a majority of miners enforce it.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Hardfork</a>: A hardfork is a change to the protocol that makes previously invalid blocks and/or transactions valid, and therefore requires all users to upgrade. A hardfork is not backwards compatible.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Wallet</a>: A wallet contains of one or several crypto currency addresses, which are account numbers to which a number of crypto currencies can be transferred to the wallet.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">#Key</a>: A key is similar to a password, that can open a wallet. Some wallets have multiple keys for security, used for “countersigning”, for instance: A key held by the owner, a second key held by a trusted party and a third key held in a secure backup location.</li>
</ul>
<p>Based on the technical concepts above, Satoshi Nakamoto’s new protocol had a dual impact on the existing financial system, since it created a new way:</p>
<ul>
<li>to store, share and exchange value, and</li>
<li>to maintain and develop new open and decentralised networks in the network.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Blockchain (R)evolution</h3>
<p>And the idea was well received, even offline.</p>
<p>Since the launch of the protocol, more than 2.500 patents have been filed by different financial players and developers.</p>
<p>The rapid development of Blockchain solutions has already had a significant impact on how independent parties carry out financial transactions. The solutions allow parties to send, receive and record any value or information in a tamper- and revision- proof way.</p>
<h3><strong>Cut the Middle Man</strong></h3>
<p>The verification process of the financial transactions is not depending on whether or not a centralised and powerful institution approves it.</p>
<p>It depends on an open and democratic process led by the parties using the system, agreeing in consensus by participation in a distributed ledger, that is maintained and updated as chains of blocks in that specific financial network. Anonymity and privacy of the parties is secured by an open cryptographic algorithm acting as a trust protocol for the parties, setting it apart from closed conventional databases at central locations, that could be manipulated or hacked by third parties.</p>
<p>Nakamotos invention was a paradigm shift in the financial world: It suggested a decentralised free-market automation towards a centralised, fragile and regulated financial eco-system using FIAT currencies and securities, that per se was influenced and manipulated by shifting political control led by states, central banks and powerful financial institutions.</p>
<h3><strong>How to Regulate the Wild West?</strong></h3>
<p>Fact is, that even though the blockchain technology do not by-pass existing laws and regulations, the blockchain (r)evolution is still in its Wild West phase.</p>
<p>The multi-billion-dollar question then seems to be:</p>
<p>If no international standards exists, how can we then define and solve the legal impact of the Blockchain technology related to crypto currencies, crypto securities and smart contracts, assets and things?</p>
<p>Interested in more? <a href="https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw/">Please follow my blog on cryptolaw here: https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw</a></p>
<p><em>Advokat Jeppe R. Stokholm is based in Zürich, Switzerland. The area of expertise is corporate affairs, including M&A, Venture Capital, Private Equity and Crypto Law. Advokat Jeppe R. Stokholm represents several international oriented Law Firms, Auditors and Family Offices on a case-by-case basis and provide discretionary counselling to global operating companies and private UHNW clients.</em></p>
<p><strong>NOTES:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://social-blog.wix.com/manage-posts-modal/5a63b908c69806074b6e74c2/edit#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Stuart Haber, W. Scott Stornetta: ”How To Time-Stamp a Digital Document”, Journal of Cryptology (1991), p. 99.</p>
</section>
|
What Is a Blockchain — Do You Know The Basic Concepts and Definitions?
Everyone is talking about it. Some have even invested in it. But what is it?
Some people claim, that the blockchain technology is the foundational platform of the 4th Industrial Revolution. It establish a new era out of the Internet with openness, decentralisation and global inclusion, and it makes it possible to give free access to the transfer of assets without the use of any intermediary, such as banks, handling agents etc.
Most famous are the payment solutions, but the blockchain technology is much more than crypto currencies and crowdfunding events. The blockchain technology can support multiple features with smart contracts, from verification of ownership, title records and intellectual property to sophisticated health tech solutions and smart governance.
But once again: What is it?
From a technical point of view, a blockchain is a cryptographically list of records, that is secured in a chain of blocks. Each block is timestamped and refers to a previous block in the chain. The chain of blocks is then acting as a verified ledger of records and information, that is shared between all the participants in that specific blockchain.
The blockchain technology is a revolution, but to understand the impact, some basic concepts and definitions must be known.
It All Started With a Timestamped Document
First time the blockchain was presented as a protocol was in 1991 in an article by Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta dealing with the challenges on how to time-stamp a digital document:
“The prospect of a world in which all text, audio, picture, and video documents are in digital form on easily modifiable media raises the issue of how to certify when a document was created or last changed. The problem is to time-stamp the data, not the medium. We propose computationally practical procedures for digital time-stamping of such documents so that it is infeasible for a user either to back-date or to forward-date his document, even with the collusion of a time-stamping service. Our procedures maintain complete privacy of the documents themselves, and require no record-keeping by the time-stamping service”[1].
In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto developed this idea further by presenting a new protocol for a cryptographic distributed trust technology, that aimed to create an open and decentralised financial network. The new protocol was called ”Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”.
The new network should be with no central server and outside the power and control of centralised state-authorities’ interactions.
Instead of a regulated closed monetary system (with third party access to monitor every single transaction), it should be run as an open and decentralised record of peer-to-peer transactions. And instead of intermediaries and handling agents, it should be run and maintained by the parties using the network, giving all participants an incentive to support the system.
Basic Concepts and Definitions
Satoshi Nakamoto’s idea was based on some technical concepts, and these concepts are in the following defined as follows:
#Nodes: Any computer that connects to the network is called a node. Most nodes are performing rule verification and routing the data to peer connections. Nodes, that fully enforce all of the rules in the network, are called full nodes. Every full node can validate transactions.
#Transaction: A transaction is a transfer of value, that is submitted by a node to the network and collected into blocks. When submitted, the transaction is disseminated to all other nodes in the network. The nodes on the network then receive, process and validate each transaction. A validated transaction is not encrypted, so it is possible to browse and view every transaction collected into a block. Once a transaction is buried under enough confirmations, the transaction record can be considered irreversible.
#Block: Transaction data is permanently recorded in files called blocks. Every block contains a hash of the previous block, including a random number known as a nonce.
#Hash: A hash function is a mathematical algorithm solved by miners that maps data of arbitrary size to a bit string of a fixed size. It can be a picture (the input data) that is converted with a hash-function called SHA-256 into a string of numbers expressed in hexadecimal (the output data). The input data is often called the message, and the output is often called the hash value. The hash value uniquely identifies a piece of digital content (e.g. the picture) with a unique number (a string of letters, numbers and other symbols), that can be applied to only that specific content. If a small pixel in the picture is changed, it will no longer be identical with the unique number that is stored as the hash value in the blockchain.
#Blockchain: A blockchain is an electronic distributed ledger or list of entries shared by all nodes participating in a system based on the same protocol. Each block in the chain is guaranteed to come after the previous block chronologically, because the previous block’s hash value validated by miners using mathematical algorithms would otherwise not be known. Some examples of blockchains are the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains.
#Mining: Mining is the process of adding transaction records to the ledger of past transactions. Mining allow nodes to reach a secure and tamper-resistant consensus. Not all nodes are mining (but instead doing peer-to-peer rule verification).
#Miners: Miners are independent service providers with servers and computers, that host the decentralised network, handles mathematical algorithms through mining and execute smart code. Miners are paid transaction fees (if any) and are rewarded with tokens such as bitcoins, if their work create new value, for instance: A verified new block of hashes to the existing chain of blocks.
#Token: A token is a multi-purpose instrument and can be found in multiple functions, such as: A smart contract giving rights and obligations, a mining reward to miners, a crypto currency (coins), a digital share, a payment, a right to an (in)tangible asset, a right to real estate etc. Tokens can be used in new protocols and networks (protocol tokens) to create distributed application (app tokens). Tokens are not the same as coins, since tokens can perform more features, than a coin, including representing a store of value, a medium of exchange and a unit of account, i.e. be used as coins.
#Coins: Coins are not the same as tokens: Coins represents a store of value, a medium of exchange and a unit of account and can be defined by their limited use: Coins can be used as a payment and be traded between parties. If they perform more than that, it is not coins, but tokens.
#Consensus: Consensus is a specific set of rules, that all full nodes in the network will enforce when considering the validity of a block and its transactions. If participants in that process are preselected (e.g. governments or central banks), the ledger is permissioned. If the process is open to everyone (e.g. Bitcoin), the ledger is unpermissioned. To achieve network consensus, proof of work must be delivered. Adding new consensus rules can be done with a softfork, while removing any consensus rules requires a hardfork.
#Fork: A fork is a change to the protocol that creates two separate versions of the blockchain with a shared history.
#Softfork: A softfork is a change to the protocol wherein only previously valid blocks and/or transactions are made invalid. A softfork is backwards compatible as long as a majority of miners enforce it.
#Hardfork: A hardfork is a change to the protocol that makes previously invalid blocks and/or transactions valid, and therefore requires all users to upgrade. A hardfork is not backwards compatible.
#Wallet: A wallet contains of one or several crypto currency addresses, which are account numbers to which a number of crypto currencies can be transferred to the wallet.
#Key: A key is similar to a password, that can open a wallet. Some wallets have multiple keys for security, used for “countersigning”, for instance: A key held by the owner, a second key held by a trusted party and a third key held in a secure backup location.
Based on the technical concepts above, Satoshi Nakamoto’s new protocol had a dual impact on the existing financial system, since it created a new way:
to store, share and exchange value, and
to maintain and develop new open and decentralised networks in the network.
The Blockchain (R)evolution
And the idea was well received, even offline.
Since the launch of the protocol, more than 2.500 patents have been filed by different financial players and developers.
The rapid development of Blockchain solutions has already had a significant impact on how independent parties carry out financial transactions. The solutions allow parties to send, receive and record any value or information in a tamper- and revision- proof way.
Cut the Middle Man
The verification process of the financial transactions is not depending on whether or not a centralised and powerful institution approves it.
It depends on an open and democratic process led by the parties using the system, agreeing in consensus by participation in a distributed ledger, that is maintained and updated as chains of blocks in that specific financial network. Anonymity and privacy of the parties is secured by an open cryptographic algorithm acting as a trust protocol for the parties, setting it apart from closed conventional databases at central locations, that could be manipulated or hacked by third parties.
Nakamotos invention was a paradigm shift in the financial world: It suggested a decentralised free-market automation towards a centralised, fragile and regulated financial eco-system using FIAT currencies and securities, that per se was influenced and manipulated by shifting political control led by states, central banks and powerful financial institutions.
How to Regulate the Wild West?
Fact is, that even though the blockchain technology do not by-pass existing laws and regulations, the blockchain (r)evolution is still in its Wild West phase.
The multi-billion-dollar question then seems to be:
If no international standards exists, how can we then define and solve the legal impact of the Blockchain technology related to crypto currencies, crypto securities and smart contracts, assets and things?
Interested in more? Please follow my blog on cryptolaw here: https://www.stokholm.ch/cryptolaw
Advokat Jeppe R. Stokholm is based in Zürich, Switzerland. The area of expertise is corporate affairs, including M&A, Venture Capital, Private Equity and Crypto Law. Advokat Jeppe R. Stokholm represents several international oriented Law Firms, Auditors and Family Offices on a case-by-case basis and provide discretionary counselling to global operating companies and private UHNW clients.
NOTES:
[1] Stuart Haber, W. Scott Stornetta: ”How To Time-Stamp a Digital Document”, Journal of Cryptology (1991), p. 99.
|
5247aaf6-661c-5a0e-8a23-1ff814d8fee8
|
25/08/2025 16:03:32
|
https://elliottdotorg.medium.com/his-hotel-refund-was-approved-so-why-did-he-do-this-de99b3ebc21e
|
medium.com
|
His hotel refund was approved. So why did he do this?
|
Phil Huffman says he had a hotel refund coming his way for his stay at the Holiday Inn San Antonio-Downtown on Market Square. It just…
|
Christopher Elliott
|
https://medium.com/@elliottdotorg
|
de99b3ebc21e
|
4 min
|
2019-01-21T19:04:30.389000
|
2019-01-21T19:05:06.670000
|
2021-12-07T08:10:46.998000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Travel,Customer Service,Refund
|
<section>
<h1>His hotel refund was approved. So why did he do this?</h1>
<p>Phil Huffman says he had a hotel refund coming his way for his stay at the Holiday Inn San Antonio-Downtown on Market Square. It just wasn’t coming fast enough.</p>
<p>You’ll never believe what he did next.</p>
<p>Then again, if you’re a longtime reader, maybe you <em>will</em> believe it.</p>
<p>Huffman’s case involves Hotwire, my long-suffering team of consumer advocates, a credit card chargeback, and an unnecessary threat of litigation. But it’s also a textbook example of how not to handle a hotel refund request — especially a goodwill refund from a company that rarely offers refunds.</p>
<p>Why Hotwire promised him a hotel refund</p>
<p>Hoffman had booked the hotel room, but then learned he would have to have surgery.</p>
<p>Hotwire’s hotel rooms are nonrefundable for a reason:</p>
<p>For all Hotwire Hot Rates, bookings are final and cannot be cancelled, refunded, exchanged, transferred, or changed, even for a fee.</p>
<p>Hotel suppliers are able to offer their unsold rooms at discounted rates on Hotwire because we withhold their name until after the customer books and our reservations are non-refundable. These restrictions enable the hotels to better manage their unsold rooms, and are a big reason why we can offer you great deals.</p>
<p>It’s unclear if Huffman was fully aware of Hotwire’s strict refund policy before he made his reservation or if he knew he might need surgery. If he’d had an inkling that he might need medical treatment and that Hotwire wouldn’t refund his room, he might have chosen a site with a more flexible booking policy (but more expensive rooms).</p>
<p>Huffman described his condition as “emergency surgery on a broken ankle,” and he provided documentation of the procedure.</p>
<p>Then again, it’s possible that Huffman knew about the no-refunds policy and was fully aware that he might need surgery. Maybe he planned to use his medical condition to persuade Hotwire to bend its rules.</p>
<p>Either way, that’s what happened. Huffman made the reservation and then contacted Hotwire to ask for a $364 refund.</p>
<h2>The official word about hotel refunds from Hotwire</h2>
<p>Hotwire is crystal clear about refund requests: Hot Rate hotel bookings “are final,” it says on its page about hotel itinerary changes.</p>
<p>Huffman did not have insurance.</p>
<p>And yet Hotwire agreed to refund his hotel rate as a goodwill gesture.</p>
<p>Hotwire approved his hotel refund — so what’s the holdup?
So what’s the problem? Hotwire said it would send him the money but then took its time, according to Huffman.</p>
<p>“They assured me they would refund the money if I sent a doctor’s note validating the surgery date,” says Huffman. “They have yet to refund the money after six attempts.”</p>
<p>Why the delay? Let’s take a look at the letter from Huffman’s physician:</p>
<p>Please be advised that this patient was unable to travel during the dates of July 21–25 due to a medical condition. Please contact my office with any questions.</p>
<p>If I were reviewing this message, I would probably wonder about the specifics of the condition that led to surgery. But, more to the point, Hotwire’s instructions asked Huffman to email his documents to a special address. It appears he did not send his documents to the correct place.</p>
<p>In fact, Hotwire did not promise him anything. It only said it would review his case:</p>
<p><em>We understand you, an immediate family member or travel companion has been under the care of a physician and are no longer able to use your reservation as planned. We know this can be a difficult time and that’s why Hotwire has a policy which allows us to refund your booking after receiving validating documents.</em></p>
<p><em>…
After emailing the required documents, you will receive an email response from Hotwire within five business days advising you of the outcome of our review.</em></p>
<p>What follows is an agonizing exchange between Huffman and Hotwire, in which he asks for his refund but only gets a form letter:</p>
<p><em>Thank you for reaching out to Hotwire and to follow up the refund of your reservation.</em></p>
<p><em>Unfortunately, we have not received the documents you’ve sent. We apologize if it’s taking longer than expected to be able to process the refund. We need the medical documents to be able to validate your request.</em></p>
<p>Again, Hotwire didn’t get the documents because it appears Huffman was sending the email to the wrong address.</p>
<p>There’s a right way to handle a refund request. I outline the procedures in this story and I also list the executive contacts for Hotwire on our site.</p>
<p>Needless to say, Huffman wasn’t following the right steps.</p>
<h2>A resolution to this hotel refund case?</h2>
<p>My advocacy team reviewed his paperwork and quickly identified the problem. Huffman had sent his documentation to the wrong address. Our advocate Michelle Couch-Friedman contacted Hotwire on his behalf to see if our contact could jumpstart the process.</p>
<p>And here’s where things got weird.</p>
<p>Our Hotwire executive contact confirmed that her team would contact Huffman and get his information and send his hotel refund through Paypal. But in the meantime, it seems Huffman filed a credit card chargeback — meaning that Hotwire no longer had the money and couldn’t return it.</p>
<p>Then, after Hotwire already confirmed that he would get the refund, and Michelle let Huffman know the good news, things got even weirder. After a week, Huffman grew tired of waiting and sent the following email to Hotwire:</p>
<p><em>I contacted PayPal and they essentially said you LIED about the transaction: that it doesn’t take 1–2 billing cycles. It only takes a DAY, so PLEASE WIRE THIS MONEY TO ME IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL FILE SUIT AGAINST HOTWIRE FOR FRAUD.</em></p>
<p>Certainly not the right move. A goodwill gesture is exactly that — a gesture of goodwill. Hotwire was well within its rights to keep all of Huffman’s money. There is no fraud case.</p>
<p>When Michelle pointed this out to Huffman, he became argumentative. He finally ended the discussion with a note that said, “Our communications are terminated. Bye.”</p>
<p>Huffman ignored our advice about resolving a consumer complaint, relying on legal threats and chargebacks when attention to detail and politeness would have been far more effective. I thought I’d seen it all, but this hotel refund case is one of the strangest ones of the new year.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.chriselliotts.com">Christopher Elliott</a> is the founder of <a href="http://www.elliott.org">Elliott Advocacy</a>, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can’t. He’s the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes weekly columns for King Features Syndicate, USA Today, and the Washington Post. If you have a consumer problem you can’t solve, contact him directly through his <a href="http://elliott.org/help/"</em>>advocacy website</a>. You can also follow him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/elliottdotorg">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherJamesElliott">Facebook</a>, and <a href="http://linkedin.com/in/christopherelliott">LinkedIn</a>, or sign up for his <a href="http://www.elliott.org/newsletter/">daily newsletter</a>.</p>
</section>
|
His hotel refund was approved. So why did he do this?
Phil Huffman says he had a hotel refund coming his way for his stay at the Holiday Inn San Antonio-Downtown on Market Square. It just wasn’t coming fast enough.
You’ll never believe what he did next.
Then again, if you’re a longtime reader, maybe you will believe it.
Huffman’s case involves Hotwire, my long-suffering team of consumer advocates, a credit card chargeback, and an unnecessary threat of litigation. But it’s also a textbook example of how not to handle a hotel refund request — especially a goodwill refund from a company that rarely offers refunds.
Why Hotwire promised him a hotel refund
Hoffman had booked the hotel room, but then learned he would have to have surgery.
Hotwire’s hotel rooms are nonrefundable for a reason:
For all Hotwire Hot Rates, bookings are final and cannot be cancelled, refunded, exchanged, transferred, or changed, even for a fee.
Hotel suppliers are able to offer their unsold rooms at discounted rates on Hotwire because we withhold their name until after the customer books and our reservations are non-refundable. These restrictions enable the hotels to better manage their unsold rooms, and are a big reason why we can offer you great deals.
It’s unclear if Huffman was fully aware of Hotwire’s strict refund policy before he made his reservation or if he knew he might need surgery. If he’d had an inkling that he might need medical treatment and that Hotwire wouldn’t refund his room, he might have chosen a site with a more flexible booking policy (but more expensive rooms).
Huffman described his condition as “emergency surgery on a broken ankle,” and he provided documentation of the procedure.
Then again, it’s possible that Huffman knew about the no-refunds policy and was fully aware that he might need surgery. Maybe he planned to use his medical condition to persuade Hotwire to bend its rules.
Either way, that’s what happened. Huffman made the reservation and then contacted Hotwire to ask for a $364 refund.
The official word about hotel refunds from Hotwire
Hotwire is crystal clear about refund requests: Hot Rate hotel bookings “are final,” it says on its page about hotel itinerary changes.
Huffman did not have insurance.
And yet Hotwire agreed to refund his hotel rate as a goodwill gesture.
Hotwire approved his hotel refund — so what’s the holdup?
So what’s the problem? Hotwire said it would send him the money but then took its time, according to Huffman.
“They assured me they would refund the money if I sent a doctor’s note validating the surgery date,” says Huffman. “They have yet to refund the money after six attempts.”
Why the delay? Let’s take a look at the letter from Huffman’s physician:
Please be advised that this patient was unable to travel during the dates of July 21–25 due to a medical condition. Please contact my office with any questions.
If I were reviewing this message, I would probably wonder about the specifics of the condition that led to surgery. But, more to the point, Hotwire’s instructions asked Huffman to email his documents to a special address. It appears he did not send his documents to the correct place.
In fact, Hotwire did not promise him anything. It only said it would review his case:
We understand you, an immediate family member or travel companion has been under the care of a physician and are no longer able to use your reservation as planned. We know this can be a difficult time and that’s why Hotwire has a policy which allows us to refund your booking after receiving validating documents.
…
After emailing the required documents, you will receive an email response from Hotwire within five business days advising you of the outcome of our review.
What follows is an agonizing exchange between Huffman and Hotwire, in which he asks for his refund but only gets a form letter:
Thank you for reaching out to Hotwire and to follow up the refund of your reservation.
Unfortunately, we have not received the documents you’ve sent. We apologize if it’s taking longer than expected to be able to process the refund. We need the medical documents to be able to validate your request.
Again, Hotwire didn’t get the documents because it appears Huffman was sending the email to the wrong address.
There’s a right way to handle a refund request. I outline the procedures in this story and I also list the executive contacts for Hotwire on our site.
Needless to say, Huffman wasn’t following the right steps.
A resolution to this hotel refund case?
My advocacy team reviewed his paperwork and quickly identified the problem. Huffman had sent his documentation to the wrong address. Our advocate Michelle Couch-Friedman contacted Hotwire on his behalf to see if our contact could jumpstart the process.
And here’s where things got weird.
Our Hotwire executive contact confirmed that her team would contact Huffman and get his information and send his hotel refund through Paypal. But in the meantime, it seems Huffman filed a credit card chargeback — meaning that Hotwire no longer had the money and couldn’t return it.
Then, after Hotwire already confirmed that he would get the refund, and Michelle let Huffman know the good news, things got even weirder. After a week, Huffman grew tired of waiting and sent the following email to Hotwire:
I contacted PayPal and they essentially said you LIED about the transaction: that it doesn’t take 1–2 billing cycles. It only takes a DAY, so PLEASE WIRE THIS MONEY TO ME IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL FILE SUIT AGAINST HOTWIRE FOR FRAUD.
Certainly not the right move. A goodwill gesture is exactly that — a gesture of goodwill. Hotwire was well within its rights to keep all of Huffman’s money. There is no fraud case.
When Michelle pointed this out to Huffman, he became argumentative. He finally ended the discussion with a note that said, “Our communications are terminated. Bye.”
Huffman ignored our advice about resolving a consumer complaint, relying on legal threats and chargebacks when attention to detail and politeness would have been far more effective. I thought I’d seen it all, but this hotel refund case is one of the strangest ones of the new year.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can’t. He’s the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes weekly columns for King Features Syndicate, USA Today, and the Washington Post. If you have a consumer problem you can’t solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.
|
86ef1ec1-1504-5f96-a0b2-240096bb2ae5
|
25/08/2025 16:03:33
|
|
https://medium.com/@AloeCache_58737/comfort-and-flexibility-d963742bdd2f
|
medium.com
|
Comfort and Flexibility
|
The ability to move is often something we take for granted. Move freely and support joint comfort and flexibility with Forever Living…
|
Aloe Cache
|
https://medium.com/@AloeCache_58737
|
d963742bdd2f
|
0 min
|
2017-07-28T12:22:01.581000
|
2017-07-28T12:23:07.298000
|
2017-07-28T12:23:08.098000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Forever Living Products
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1100/1*65QyIUyLMupWlhSARmAFeQ.jpeg" width="1100" height="1100" loading="lazy" />
<p>The ability to move is often something we take for granted. Move freely and support joint comfort and flexibility with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ForeverGlobalHQ/?fref=mentions">Forever Living Products</a>latest and most clinically advanced joint and muscle supplement, Forever Move.</p>
<p>Visit <a href="http://www.aloecache.com/">www.AloeCache.com</a> to buy.</p>
</section>
|
Comfort and Flexibility
Forever Move
The ability to move is often something we take for granted. Move freely and support joint comfort and flexibility with Forever Living Productslatest and most clinically advanced joint and muscle supplement, Forever Move.
Visit www.AloeCache.com to buy.
|
4479868d-bb19-5689-9fff-07276a95f393
|
25/08/2025 16:03:33
|
|
https://medium.com/@d.rahaeuser/what-do-you-find-when-you-are-seeking-god-on-the-inside-ed2398a34825
|
medium.com
|
What do you find when you are seeking god on the inside?
|
The dark places you can enter with spirituality and seeking happiness and how to exit the maze of doom
|
David Rah
|
https://medium.com/@d.rahaeuser
|
ed2398a34825
|
3 min
|
2020-08-31T13:54:50.072000
|
2020-08-31T15:34:38.499000
|
2021-12-15T19:17:47.019000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Spirituality,Religion,Love,Life,Truth
|
<section>
<h3>The dark places you can enter with spirituality and seeking happiness and how to exit the maze of doom</h3>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2505/1*jZ2s2SgNMoyNClLIzZw_Zw.jpeg" width="2505" height="1500" loading="lazy" />
<p>Chances are deep down you are hurt. Chances are you feel lost. You <em>crave </em>salvation and a sense of fullfillment. You <em>crave </em>reliev. You <em>crave </em>getting what <em>you </em>want. You want to be <em>saved </em>from your pain.</p>
<blockquote>I was there. I am still there. But, what am I willing to pay to get out of there?</blockquote>
<p>The longing for salvation of your pain and trauma, physically or emotionally, blinds you for the <em>Truth</em>. It makes you an easy target for deceit and seduction. Thats why advertisement in combination with emotional charge and promises of happiness work. They use your weak spots. They create hope. They create a sense of possible reliev and salvation in your darkest hour.</p>
<blockquote>It leads you away from <em>what is</em>,<em> </em>to <em>what could be there</em>.</blockquote>
<p>Thats the point where those demons get attrackted to you, like the attraction of a bright light in the darkness is to mosquitoes. They can not help but be drawn to you. You are the one attracting them. You let them in. You seek them, consciously or not.</p>
<p>They will offer you a way out, a promise, which they sadly cannot ever fullfill. But it will be so shiny, so glamourios, so precious and exciting you simply do not want to refuse. After all, who would deny a promise of happiness and fullfillment when he himself feels helpless and lost? A promise of power. A promise, that <em>you </em>are god, that you can save yourself, all alone.</p>
<p>I was willing to do anything it takes, without questioning the origin of those voices, those promises of eternal peace and happiness. My pain was nuturing my spiritual longing, each desperate step to find something, anything that finally redeems me from my pain and misery. I became haunted.</p>
<blockquote>Haunted by demons.</blockquote>
<p>You won’t be able to see that the pain will not go away. That you just found another way to deny it, to focus on what you have been promised, instead of seeing what is there and shining the light of love onto it.</p>
<p>So let me call them by their names. They do not want to be called. They operate in the shadows. Their craft is seduction and illusion. Lies. False promises. I found the opposite of self-love. Radical self-hate in disguise.</p>
<blockquote>Pleasure.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Indulgence.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Self-Overestimation.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Self-Deceit.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Fake-Happiness.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Repression of feelings.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Selfishness.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Entitlement, Narcissism.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Overconfidence.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Megalomania, Hubris.</blockquote>
<blockquote>God-Complex.</blockquote>
<p>You may want to read that again.</p>
<p>I came to the conclusion that i am only human, i may got a soul, i may am spirit. But right now, i am human. The best i can do under any circumstance is staying optimistic, cheerful, trying to be a decent, kind human with the only intention of helping myself and others, not for the sake of personal gain, just for the sheer sake of doing it. Of not giving in to those demons.</p>
<p>Because after all, what would be the alternative? Accept that pain and hardship is part of life? That it is not all fun and games but a lot, a fucking lot, of suffering. A lot of pain and sometimes, just sometimes, a sparkling moment of light in between, penetrating the shell of suffering for a brief moment. That moment is the window, is the exit.</p>
<blockquote>That moment is acceptance and true gratitude.</blockquote>
<p>That moment is peace. That moment is truth. For that brief moment everything is right. That moment is pure love. Being grateful for that the simple fact that things are as they are and do not need to be changed. You accept what is. You are grateful. You feel blessed.</p>
<blockquote>Because you already have received the greatest gift possible, you are alive.</blockquote>
<p>Until you start to blame it on your <em>toxic </em>friends, your neighbor, onto yourself for falling short. Your past, your circumstances. Your boss. You name it. Maybe even on your parents or loved ones. Everything has turned into an enemy, all odds seem to be against you. You are the one struggeling, fighting, alone.</p>
<p>The only antidote so far i found is acceptance. Is unconditional love. And somehow, i guess based on my christian roots, praying to Jesus Christ, but that was my choice.</p>
<p>Commit to compassion. Commit to hope. Commit to love. Commit to the <em>Truth</em>.</p>
<p>Let me close this article with the lyrics for the english translation of <em>God is Love</em>.</p>
<p>God loves me dearly,
Grants me salvation;
God loves me dearly,
Loves even me.</p>
<p>Therefore I’ll say again:
God loves me dearly,
God loves me dearly,
Loves even me.</p>
<p>I was in bondage,
sin, death, and darkness;
God’s love was working
to make me free.</p>
<p>He sent forth Jesus,
my dear Redeemer;
He sent forth Jesus
and set me free.</p>
<p>Jesus, my Savior,
Himself did offer;
Jesus, my Savior,
Paid all I owed.</p>
<p>May god bless your ways and save your soul.</p>
</section>
|
What do you find when you are seeking god on the inside?
The dark places you can enter with spirituality and seeking happiness and how to exit the maze of doom
What are you willing to pay for your happiness? CC by @lanophotography
Chances are deep down you are hurt. Chances are you feel lost. You crave salvation and a sense of fullfillment. You crave reliev. You crave getting what you want. You want to be saved from your pain.
I was there. I am still there. But, what am I willing to pay to get out of there?
The longing for salvation of your pain and trauma, physically or emotionally, blinds you for the Truth. It makes you an easy target for deceit and seduction. Thats why advertisement in combination with emotional charge and promises of happiness work. They use your weak spots. They create hope. They create a sense of possible reliev and salvation in your darkest hour.
It leads you away from what is, to what could be there.
Thats the point where those demons get attrackted to you, like the attraction of a bright light in the darkness is to mosquitoes. They can not help but be drawn to you. You are the one attracting them. You let them in. You seek them, consciously or not.
They will offer you a way out, a promise, which they sadly cannot ever fullfill. But it will be so shiny, so glamourios, so precious and exciting you simply do not want to refuse. After all, who would deny a promise of happiness and fullfillment when he himself feels helpless and lost? A promise of power. A promise, that you are god, that you can save yourself, all alone.
I was willing to do anything it takes, without questioning the origin of those voices, those promises of eternal peace and happiness. My pain was nuturing my spiritual longing, each desperate step to find something, anything that finally redeems me from my pain and misery. I became haunted.
Haunted by demons.
You won’t be able to see that the pain will not go away. That you just found another way to deny it, to focus on what you have been promised, instead of seeing what is there and shining the light of love onto it.
So let me call them by their names. They do not want to be called. They operate in the shadows. Their craft is seduction and illusion. Lies. False promises. I found the opposite of self-love. Radical self-hate in disguise.
Pleasure.
Indulgence.
Self-Overestimation.
Self-Deceit.
Fake-Happiness.
Repression of feelings.
Selfishness.
Entitlement, Narcissism.
Overconfidence.
Megalomania, Hubris.
God-Complex.
You may want to read that again.
I came to the conclusion that i am only human, i may got a soul, i may am spirit. But right now, i am human. The best i can do under any circumstance is staying optimistic, cheerful, trying to be a decent, kind human with the only intention of helping myself and others, not for the sake of personal gain, just for the sheer sake of doing it. Of not giving in to those demons.
Because after all, what would be the alternative? Accept that pain and hardship is part of life? That it is not all fun and games but a lot, a fucking lot, of suffering. A lot of pain and sometimes, just sometimes, a sparkling moment of light in between, penetrating the shell of suffering for a brief moment. That moment is the window, is the exit.
That moment is acceptance and true gratitude.
That moment is peace. That moment is truth. For that brief moment everything is right. That moment is pure love. Being grateful for that the simple fact that things are as they are and do not need to be changed. You accept what is. You are grateful. You feel blessed.
Because you already have received the greatest gift possible, you are alive.
Until you start to blame it on your toxic friends, your neighbor, onto yourself for falling short. Your past, your circumstances. Your boss. You name it. Maybe even on your parents or loved ones. Everything has turned into an enemy, all odds seem to be against you. You are the one struggeling, fighting, alone.
The only antidote so far i found is acceptance. Is unconditional love. And somehow, i guess based on my christian roots, praying to Jesus Christ, but that was my choice.
Commit to compassion. Commit to hope. Commit to love. Commit to the Truth.
Let me close this article with the lyrics for the english translation of God is Love.
God loves me dearly,
Grants me salvation;
God loves me dearly,
Loves even me.
Therefore I’ll say again:
God loves me dearly,
God loves me dearly,
Loves even me.
I was in bondage,
sin, death, and darkness;
God’s love was working
to make me free.
He sent forth Jesus,
my dear Redeemer;
He sent forth Jesus
and set me free.
Jesus, my Savior,
Himself did offer;
Jesus, my Savior,
Paid all I owed.
May god bless your ways and save your soul.
|
dc32962d-91a6-580c-bae3-8c593b7c414d
|
25/08/2025 16:03:33
|
|
https://dyluk.medium.com/a-glimpse-within-ourselves-45628383f746
|
medium.com
|
A Glimpse Within Ourselves
|
Proverbs 20:5 (ISV) The intentions of a person’s heart are deep waters, but a discerning person reveals them.
|
Давид Улянчук
|
https://medium.com/@dyluk
|
45628383f746
|
12 min
|
2021-01-04T06:22:51.324000
|
2021-01-04T06:29:08.512000
|
2021-12-26T04:09:28.646000
| 0 | 4 |
en
|
Christianity,Self Improvement,Growth,Growth Mindset,Religion
|
<section>
<p>Proverbs 20:5 (ISV) The intentions of a person’s heart are deep waters, but a discerning person reveals them.</p>
<p>Proverbs 20:5 (ESV) The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*l3eMBP6UVkQS3Yzw6cwghw.jpeg" width="640" height="425" loading="lazy" />
<p>It is effortless to notice the various attributes of the people around us. At first glance, we notice major physical features like hair, gender, and clothing. Whether they are negative or positive observations, these things come naturally. Also, we might note a person’s voice and pitch, and scrutinize their discourse or personality.</p>
<p>Often without much thought, we start holding certain ideas about the person. We begin formulating an opinion whether we like them or not. These thoughts come naturally and different people notice different things.</p>
<p>Now, it is much more difficult to see ourselves. Sometimes we struggle to notice our own imperfections and strengths. We all have an image of ourselves in our own heads and people around us might have a completely different image of us than the one that we have developed.</p>
<p>There are moments in my life, that when I look back, make me cringe. In my teens, I remember my behavior in certain social settings, and my best friend would feel embarrassed on my behalf. He would tell me that I was being too obnoxious and unfiltered. Meanwhile, I thought that I was being funny. But people were not laughing with me, they were laughing at me. I was making a fool of myself.</p>
<p>I would tell my friend that he was overthinking it and that he needed to loosen up a little. Then it hit me, I heard some things that people were saying about me and I realized that I was not the type of person I wanted to be.</p>
<p>It is unhealthy to get caught with everything people might say or think about you. People are always going to form opinions about you; however, it is one thing if those perceptions are baseless and another if they are reasonable observations.</p>
<p>In my case, I came to the realization that my friend was correct. I needed to be more gracious in certain social settings and to this day, I fondly remember his advice.</p>
<p>It is a blessing to have a friend or people in your life who can lovingly point out your flaws with wisdom and discretion. It is an art, as they know how and when to edify you without constantly looking for faults in you. Nobody wants a friend who is always looking to point out your flaws.</p>
<p>It is not easy to take criticism. It takes a lot of trust and vulnerability. We should be very cautious when it comes to criticizing people. First of all, your perspective might be completely wrong. You might not have the proper relationship with the person to critique them. It could be the wrong time or place. Also, the person could already be beating themselves up over the incident and you are just pouring salt on their wound. Few people are good at providing constructive criticism.</p>
<p>I had that trust with my friend, and even then it wasn’t always easy to listen to him critique me. People don’t like being told when they are wrong or told their faults. My friend helped me become more retrospective. It is much easier to analyze yourself than to have other people point out your deficiencies.</p>
<h1><strong>Analyzing Ourselves</strong></h1>
<p>I like Proverbs 20:5 and what the author shares about analyzing ourselves. I included two different translations as the verse can be difficult to understand and I think these two translations combined provide a good perspective.</p>
<p>Proverbs 20:5 (ISV) The intentions of a person’s heart are deep waters, but a discerning person reveals them.</p>
<p>Proverbs 20:5 (ESV) The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.</p>
<p>Our desires, motives, thoughts, and beliefs are like deep water. We often don’t completely understand who we are, what are we like, and what we want. It takes a lot of work self-examining and reflecting upon yourself to get to know yourself. Not everyone is good at it, it is a skill that takes time to develop, and it requires a lot of wisdom. We have to learn to become discerning and understanding.</p>
<p>David writes in Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, LORD, and put me to the test; Refine my mind and my heart.” (NASB) We are often not very good at examining ourselves. We can be too harsh on ourselves and easily overthink everything or we can avoid thinking altogether, and not notice the way we affect people around us. We can easily deceive ourselves. (Jeremiah 17:9) We might think that we have the correct perspective but we could be completely wrong. (Proverbs 21:2) Therefore, David asks God to check his heart and his intentions.</p>
<p>I believe Christ is that discerning and understanding person who draws out our intentions and desires and shows them to us. The Holy Spirit convicts us and works in us to become more like Christ. We then connect with the Holy Spirit by spending time reflecting on ourselves, our thoughts, and our conduct.</p>
<p>One thing I find myself thinking about is, am I the person that I want to be? Does the image that I have created of myself co-inside with the person that other people perceive me to be? If I was to see myself from the side and observe myself, would I be pleased with who I am?</p>
<p>I began to realize that in reality, I am not the person that I have created in my own mind. I desire to be patient but I notice that often I lack patience, and I get provoked by unnecessary things. I would like to listen more than speak, but I find myself being quick to speak and slow to listen. I would like to be more productive with my time, but I will find myself often not utilizing my time well.</p>
<p>My desire is not to share all of my flaws but to provide some perspective. We all have ideals that we do not meet. We might even hate ourselves for not meeting our own standards. I am not even talking about God’s standards.</p>
<p>My goal is not for us to wallow in our own inadequacies but to have us reflect upon ourselves. My goal is to help us develop a healthy self-awareness and move forward growing as people.</p>
<p>It is a skill that we have to develop. We have to learn how to examine ourselves. I love the second part of Psalm 26:2, “… Refine my mind and my heart.” David asks for God to refine his thoughts, his perspectives, his character, and his intentions. I believe God is working in all his children. If His Spirit is in us, we are being transformed and becoming more like Christ. We are becoming more like the person that we were made to be and desire to become.</p>
<p>2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.</p>
<p>The process of growth requires self-examination. There are many ways we can approach it. We study the scriptures and use them to analyze ourselves. We can spend time in prayer and meditation. It can be as simple as taking a spontaneous moment to reflect on our day, our character, and our intentions.</p>
<p>An important question to ask yourself is, how do I impact the people around me? How is my presence felt? Do people enjoy or don’t mind being around me or do they dread being around me? How do I make people feel?</p>
<p>Some people might claim that the reason people are uncomfortable around them is that they reveal the wrongdoings of others and that is on them. It is not their fault that they expose their sins. I believe that is the wrong approach. Jesus spent a lot of time around people who were not ideal members of their society. They felt comfortable talking to him and invited Jesus over to eat with them. While Jesus didn’t approve of their deeds, he gave them hope that they can leave behind their lifestyles and become someone else.</p>
<p>A simple question is, are people comfortable around me? Do they feel comfortable approaching me and talking with me? It might not seem like much but it is a very important detail. It shows our character. It reveals our spiritual state.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there are many people who claim to be believers but have terrible reputations amongst people. They might think it is because of their own spirituality but in reality, everyone thinks they are just foul. They are rude, brash, and belittle others. They are either very weak spiritually or deceiving themselves. They smear Christ’s name.</p>
<p>The way people know we are Christ’s disciples is not by our physical presentation. There are many people who are not believers who have more scrupulous customs, traditions, and attire, and they might not know God at all.</p>
<p>The way people know we are Christ’s disciples is by our love for other believers and other people. People will know if we are Christ’s if the Spirit produces fruit in us.</p>
<p>John 13:35 (ESV) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”</p>
<p>Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.</p>
<h2><strong>Importance of Working on Ourselves</strong></h2>
<p>A major aspect of being self-aware is realizing that we can’t really only change anyone but ourselves. There are two points to this idea. First, we shouldn’t blame other people for our own problems. Second, we are only capable of influencing people to change by focusing on ourselves. Only then are we capable of impacting other people and influencing them to change.</p>
<p>Ultimately, everyone is responsible for themselves. It doesn’t mean that our upbringing and background doesn’t have a large impact on us, it does, but it doesn’t excuse our poor behavior. Our background can help us understand our behavior and personality but it doesn’t vindicate us.</p>
<p>I often say that the best way to understand yourself is to study your parents. You can find many things that you like or dislike about yourself in your parents. From there you have a choice, you can either work on those flaws or you can ignore them. However, if you ignore them your children will experience the same discomfort that you may have experienced.</p>
<p>In every cycle, there has to be someone that decides that they are going to stop any unhealthy pattern. They have to agree that they are not going to inflict the same pain they experienced upon those close to them. If your father was an alcoholic or abused drugs and you saw the amount of harm it did to your family, then you have a choice whether you want your family to experience the same level of abuse. It is not easy, it is a difficult process and in many cases, it might require seeking additional help and support. Still, it is on each individual to stop any cycle of mistreatment. Just because you were mistreated doesn’t give you the right to mistreat other people.</p>
<p>Also, just because you have been mistreated doesn’t mean that you can’t move forward. It doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. Life doesn’t stop and neither should we. We must press forward, and check every door until we find a door that will open.</p>
<p>I think of my family and many other Christians in the former Soviet Union. Many were killed, imprisoned in labor camps, beaten, denied an education, but they pressed forward. My father, because he wouldn’t renounce his faith, was not allowed to receive a diploma. If you didn’t have a diploma, you couldn’t obtain a higher education. He tried to become a tractor mechanic, again he wasn’t granted a diploma. He really wanted to be an engineer but his only option was he could work in undesirable fields like construction. So he began working in construction traveling all over the Soviet Union and Siberia.</p>
<p>He didn’t let life stop him. When the U.S.S.R., collapsed, many oligarchs desired for him to build their summer homes, and he began specializing in building complex roof systems. He had the opportunity to move his family to the United States as a refugee, so he and my mother took their three kids, two suitcases, and at most a hundred bucks and moved to a strange country, where people spoke a different language and have different customs.</p>
<p>Through all of their struggles, my parents never stopped pushing forward. They knocked on every available door to support themselves and their kids. There are two types of people: those who when struggles come they complain and fold their arms, and there are those who push through and strive to overcome.</p>
<p>In modern society, I see a trend to blame everyone else for their problems. I see the children of immigrants dishonoring their parents’ sacrifices. If they haven’t already; they will be mentally, spiritually, and financially poorer than their immigrant parents who lacked almost all the advantages that their children now have. Not everything was always ideal and sometimes parents make mistakes but many immigrant parents gave their children everything they could. Now it is up to their children to push forward. I will forever be thankful for the sacrifices my parents made to ensure that my siblings and I would have as many opportunities as possible.</p>
<p>In the end, we are all responsible for ourselves. I love the words of Victor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor, he writes, “Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing; the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Blaming someone else will never fix our own problems. We can only work on ourselves.</p>
<p>This leads me to the second point. Many people talk about changing the world and influencing the people around them. However, it is impossible to influence any change without first working on yourself. The more you work on yourself, the more you can influence and grow the people around you.</p>
<p>It is very difficult to influence people if you are unwilling to work on yourself. People will follow your examples better than words. If you see issues in your family, become the person that you want your family to be. If you see issues in your culture and country, be the person that you want your society to be like.</p>
<p>As a society, we are too caught up in trying to dictate change with our words instead of our example. I see many people trying to dictate social change through social media but it is like fighting the wind. In the end, it just makes you look foolish and strips you of your integrity. There are many social media posts that I have come to later regret. If you have any strong feelings, first sleep on them. Most of the time, you will not want to post it the next day.</p>
<p>This is a lesson that I am still learning. In many circumstances, I found peace in the fact that I can’t control the world around me. I can’t control the events, I can only control myself and my own reaction.</p>
<p>When I connect with Christ and His work in me. I grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then, I can influence and grow my own family and those around me.</p>
<p>Now the way I desire to influence others around me is not by dictating their lifestyle but by serving them. Our goal should be to lead by example and to serve those around us with love. That is the only way we can build up others around us. We first have to build up our own house.</p>
<p>This is the biggest issue I find with modern society, so many people lack self-awareness. They are always pointing out everyone else’s flaws but they lack the realization to look within. To glimpse inside their own soul. The answer to our problems is not around us, it is inside us.</p>
<h2><strong>Meeting the Man of Understanding</strong></h2>
<p>When we do glimpse inside, we will often find that there is a lot to work on. Each one of us has so many issues it is as though we need a new nature. This is where Christ is the answer to our problem. When we accept Him, we receive a new nature that comes inside us through His Spirit. Christ gives us strength and the ability to put down our old nature. (Galatians 5:16–21)</p>
<p>The great thing with Christ is that there is no condemnation. (Romans 8:1–2) If we accept Him, we have been saved and adopted into His family. I don’t have to worry about being unadopted. (John 10:28, John 6:39, 1 Peter 1:5) It doesn’t mean that I am comfortable making mistakes; instead, now I am emboldened to overcome my flaws. While I have received a new nature, my old nature is still there, and one day the process will be complete. (Romans 8:23, Galatians 5:5) Still, Christ’s nature in me justifies me as I wait for my flesh to be redeemed.</p>
<p>Many people when they make a mistake they beat themselves up over it. They torment themselves. If they are Christians and don’t understand God’s promises, they might lack the courage to come to God in prayer and ask for forgiveness.</p>
<p>My greatest joy as a Christian is that Christ has granted me the grace to continue to grow without having to fear rejection. I have assurance in my salvation and that He will never reject me. (Romans 8:38–39, Hebrews 7:25) Now, I can meditate and reflect upon myself, and instead of beating myself up, I can learn from my mistakes and grow.</p>
<p>In Christ, we can truly analyze our lives and truly grow. There are days that I might be weaker than other days. There are moments where I might fail. But those moments don’t define me. Christ now defines me and my righteousness.</p>
<p>I wish for everyone to glimpse inside their own heart and allow the Man of understanding, that is Jesus Christ, to draw deep inside of you and reveal to you all of your intentions. He will give you a new nature and give you the strength to put to death your old nature. He will give you courage and boldness to press forward because He has already overcome for you. He will teach you understanding to analyze ourselves properly. Not out of fear or self-hatred but out of love and desire to be just like Him.</p>
</section>
|
A Glimpse Within Ourselves
Proverbs 20:5 (ISV) The intentions of a person’s heart are deep waters, but a discerning person reveals them.
Proverbs 20:5 (ESV) The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
It is effortless to notice the various attributes of the people around us. At first glance, we notice major physical features like hair, gender, and clothing. Whether they are negative or positive observations, these things come naturally. Also, we might note a person’s voice and pitch, and scrutinize their discourse or personality.
Often without much thought, we start holding certain ideas about the person. We begin formulating an opinion whether we like them or not. These thoughts come naturally and different people notice different things.
Now, it is much more difficult to see ourselves. Sometimes we struggle to notice our own imperfections and strengths. We all have an image of ourselves in our own heads and people around us might have a completely different image of us than the one that we have developed.
There are moments in my life, that when I look back, make me cringe. In my teens, I remember my behavior in certain social settings, and my best friend would feel embarrassed on my behalf. He would tell me that I was being too obnoxious and unfiltered. Meanwhile, I thought that I was being funny. But people were not laughing with me, they were laughing at me. I was making a fool of myself.
I would tell my friend that he was overthinking it and that he needed to loosen up a little. Then it hit me, I heard some things that people were saying about me and I realized that I was not the type of person I wanted to be.
It is unhealthy to get caught with everything people might say or think about you. People are always going to form opinions about you; however, it is one thing if those perceptions are baseless and another if they are reasonable observations.
In my case, I came to the realization that my friend was correct. I needed to be more gracious in certain social settings and to this day, I fondly remember his advice.
It is a blessing to have a friend or people in your life who can lovingly point out your flaws with wisdom and discretion. It is an art, as they know how and when to edify you without constantly looking for faults in you. Nobody wants a friend who is always looking to point out your flaws.
It is not easy to take criticism. It takes a lot of trust and vulnerability. We should be very cautious when it comes to criticizing people. First of all, your perspective might be completely wrong. You might not have the proper relationship with the person to critique them. It could be the wrong time or place. Also, the person could already be beating themselves up over the incident and you are just pouring salt on their wound. Few people are good at providing constructive criticism.
I had that trust with my friend, and even then it wasn’t always easy to listen to him critique me. People don’t like being told when they are wrong or told their faults. My friend helped me become more retrospective. It is much easier to analyze yourself than to have other people point out your deficiencies.
Analyzing Ourselves
I like Proverbs 20:5 and what the author shares about analyzing ourselves. I included two different translations as the verse can be difficult to understand and I think these two translations combined provide a good perspective.
Proverbs 20:5 (ISV) The intentions of a person’s heart are deep waters, but a discerning person reveals them.
Proverbs 20:5 (ESV) The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Our desires, motives, thoughts, and beliefs are like deep water. We often don’t completely understand who we are, what are we like, and what we want. It takes a lot of work self-examining and reflecting upon yourself to get to know yourself. Not everyone is good at it, it is a skill that takes time to develop, and it requires a lot of wisdom. We have to learn to become discerning and understanding.
David writes in Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, LORD, and put me to the test; Refine my mind and my heart.” (NASB) We are often not very good at examining ourselves. We can be too harsh on ourselves and easily overthink everything or we can avoid thinking altogether, and not notice the way we affect people around us. We can easily deceive ourselves. (Jeremiah 17:9) We might think that we have the correct perspective but we could be completely wrong. (Proverbs 21:2) Therefore, David asks God to check his heart and his intentions.
I believe Christ is that discerning and understanding person who draws out our intentions and desires and shows them to us. The Holy Spirit convicts us and works in us to become more like Christ. We then connect with the Holy Spirit by spending time reflecting on ourselves, our thoughts, and our conduct.
One thing I find myself thinking about is, am I the person that I want to be? Does the image that I have created of myself co-inside with the person that other people perceive me to be? If I was to see myself from the side and observe myself, would I be pleased with who I am?
I began to realize that in reality, I am not the person that I have created in my own mind. I desire to be patient but I notice that often I lack patience, and I get provoked by unnecessary things. I would like to listen more than speak, but I find myself being quick to speak and slow to listen. I would like to be more productive with my time, but I will find myself often not utilizing my time well.
My desire is not to share all of my flaws but to provide some perspective. We all have ideals that we do not meet. We might even hate ourselves for not meeting our own standards. I am not even talking about God’s standards.
My goal is not for us to wallow in our own inadequacies but to have us reflect upon ourselves. My goal is to help us develop a healthy self-awareness and move forward growing as people.
It is a skill that we have to develop. We have to learn how to examine ourselves. I love the second part of Psalm 26:2, “… Refine my mind and my heart.” David asks for God to refine his thoughts, his perspectives, his character, and his intentions. I believe God is working in all his children. If His Spirit is in us, we are being transformed and becoming more like Christ. We are becoming more like the person that we were made to be and desire to become.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The process of growth requires self-examination. There are many ways we can approach it. We study the scriptures and use them to analyze ourselves. We can spend time in prayer and meditation. It can be as simple as taking a spontaneous moment to reflect on our day, our character, and our intentions.
An important question to ask yourself is, how do I impact the people around me? How is my presence felt? Do people enjoy or don’t mind being around me or do they dread being around me? How do I make people feel?
Some people might claim that the reason people are uncomfortable around them is that they reveal the wrongdoings of others and that is on them. It is not their fault that they expose their sins. I believe that is the wrong approach. Jesus spent a lot of time around people who were not ideal members of their society. They felt comfortable talking to him and invited Jesus over to eat with them. While Jesus didn’t approve of their deeds, he gave them hope that they can leave behind their lifestyles and become someone else.
A simple question is, are people comfortable around me? Do they feel comfortable approaching me and talking with me? It might not seem like much but it is a very important detail. It shows our character. It reveals our spiritual state.
Unfortunately, there are many people who claim to be believers but have terrible reputations amongst people. They might think it is because of their own spirituality but in reality, everyone thinks they are just foul. They are rude, brash, and belittle others. They are either very weak spiritually or deceiving themselves. They smear Christ’s name.
The way people know we are Christ’s disciples is not by our physical presentation. There are many people who are not believers who have more scrupulous customs, traditions, and attire, and they might not know God at all.
The way people know we are Christ’s disciples is by our love for other believers and other people. People will know if we are Christ’s if the Spirit produces fruit in us.
John 13:35 (ESV) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Importance of Working on Ourselves
A major aspect of being self-aware is realizing that we can’t really only change anyone but ourselves. There are two points to this idea. First, we shouldn’t blame other people for our own problems. Second, we are only capable of influencing people to change by focusing on ourselves. Only then are we capable of impacting other people and influencing them to change.
Ultimately, everyone is responsible for themselves. It doesn’t mean that our upbringing and background doesn’t have a large impact on us, it does, but it doesn’t excuse our poor behavior. Our background can help us understand our behavior and personality but it doesn’t vindicate us.
I often say that the best way to understand yourself is to study your parents. You can find many things that you like or dislike about yourself in your parents. From there you have a choice, you can either work on those flaws or you can ignore them. However, if you ignore them your children will experience the same discomfort that you may have experienced.
In every cycle, there has to be someone that decides that they are going to stop any unhealthy pattern. They have to agree that they are not going to inflict the same pain they experienced upon those close to them. If your father was an alcoholic or abused drugs and you saw the amount of harm it did to your family, then you have a choice whether you want your family to experience the same level of abuse. It is not easy, it is a difficult process and in many cases, it might require seeking additional help and support. Still, it is on each individual to stop any cycle of mistreatment. Just because you were mistreated doesn’t give you the right to mistreat other people.
Also, just because you have been mistreated doesn’t mean that you can’t move forward. It doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. Life doesn’t stop and neither should we. We must press forward, and check every door until we find a door that will open.
I think of my family and many other Christians in the former Soviet Union. Many were killed, imprisoned in labor camps, beaten, denied an education, but they pressed forward. My father, because he wouldn’t renounce his faith, was not allowed to receive a diploma. If you didn’t have a diploma, you couldn’t obtain a higher education. He tried to become a tractor mechanic, again he wasn’t granted a diploma. He really wanted to be an engineer but his only option was he could work in undesirable fields like construction. So he began working in construction traveling all over the Soviet Union and Siberia.
He didn’t let life stop him. When the U.S.S.R., collapsed, many oligarchs desired for him to build their summer homes, and he began specializing in building complex roof systems. He had the opportunity to move his family to the United States as a refugee, so he and my mother took their three kids, two suitcases, and at most a hundred bucks and moved to a strange country, where people spoke a different language and have different customs.
Through all of their struggles, my parents never stopped pushing forward. They knocked on every available door to support themselves and their kids. There are two types of people: those who when struggles come they complain and fold their arms, and there are those who push through and strive to overcome.
In modern society, I see a trend to blame everyone else for their problems. I see the children of immigrants dishonoring their parents’ sacrifices. If they haven’t already; they will be mentally, spiritually, and financially poorer than their immigrant parents who lacked almost all the advantages that their children now have. Not everything was always ideal and sometimes parents make mistakes but many immigrant parents gave their children everything they could. Now it is up to their children to push forward. I will forever be thankful for the sacrifices my parents made to ensure that my siblings and I would have as many opportunities as possible.
In the end, we are all responsible for ourselves. I love the words of Victor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor, he writes, “Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing; the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Blaming someone else will never fix our own problems. We can only work on ourselves.
This leads me to the second point. Many people talk about changing the world and influencing the people around them. However, it is impossible to influence any change without first working on yourself. The more you work on yourself, the more you can influence and grow the people around you.
It is very difficult to influence people if you are unwilling to work on yourself. People will follow your examples better than words. If you see issues in your family, become the person that you want your family to be. If you see issues in your culture and country, be the person that you want your society to be like.
As a society, we are too caught up in trying to dictate change with our words instead of our example. I see many people trying to dictate social change through social media but it is like fighting the wind. In the end, it just makes you look foolish and strips you of your integrity. There are many social media posts that I have come to later regret. If you have any strong feelings, first sleep on them. Most of the time, you will not want to post it the next day.
This is a lesson that I am still learning. In many circumstances, I found peace in the fact that I can’t control the world around me. I can’t control the events, I can only control myself and my own reaction.
When I connect with Christ and His work in me. I grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then, I can influence and grow my own family and those around me.
Now the way I desire to influence others around me is not by dictating their lifestyle but by serving them. Our goal should be to lead by example and to serve those around us with love. That is the only way we can build up others around us. We first have to build up our own house.
This is the biggest issue I find with modern society, so many people lack self-awareness. They are always pointing out everyone else’s flaws but they lack the realization to look within. To glimpse inside their own soul. The answer to our problems is not around us, it is inside us.
Meeting the Man of Understanding
When we do glimpse inside, we will often find that there is a lot to work on. Each one of us has so many issues it is as though we need a new nature. This is where Christ is the answer to our problem. When we accept Him, we receive a new nature that comes inside us through His Spirit. Christ gives us strength and the ability to put down our old nature. (Galatians 5:16–21)
The great thing with Christ is that there is no condemnation. (Romans 8:1–2) If we accept Him, we have been saved and adopted into His family. I don’t have to worry about being unadopted. (John 10:28, John 6:39, 1 Peter 1:5) It doesn’t mean that I am comfortable making mistakes; instead, now I am emboldened to overcome my flaws. While I have received a new nature, my old nature is still there, and one day the process will be complete. (Romans 8:23, Galatians 5:5) Still, Christ’s nature in me justifies me as I wait for my flesh to be redeemed.
Many people when they make a mistake they beat themselves up over it. They torment themselves. If they are Christians and don’t understand God’s promises, they might lack the courage to come to God in prayer and ask for forgiveness.
My greatest joy as a Christian is that Christ has granted me the grace to continue to grow without having to fear rejection. I have assurance in my salvation and that He will never reject me. (Romans 8:38–39, Hebrews 7:25) Now, I can meditate and reflect upon myself, and instead of beating myself up, I can learn from my mistakes and grow.
In Christ, we can truly analyze our lives and truly grow. There are days that I might be weaker than other days. There are moments where I might fail. But those moments don’t define me. Christ now defines me and my righteousness.
I wish for everyone to glimpse inside their own heart and allow the Man of understanding, that is Jesus Christ, to draw deep inside of you and reveal to you all of your intentions. He will give you a new nature and give you the strength to put to death your old nature. He will give you courage and boldness to press forward because He has already overcome for you. He will teach you understanding to analyze ourselves properly. Not out of fear or self-hatred but out of love and desire to be just like Him.
|
886a3eaf-8732-589e-8304-c7a8dd5ba761
|
25/08/2025 16:03:34
|
|
https://medium.com/mercurityfinance/mercurity-finance-operations-report-june-5-june-18-4d2757b39f45
|
medium.com
|
Mercurity.Finance Operations Report (June 5— June 18)
|
Welcome to Mercurity.Finance. Here is the operation report for June 5th — June 18th! Read this report to learn about the progress of…
|
Mercurity.Finance
|
https://medium.com/@community-75713
|
4d2757b39f45
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*lubVDabCywqSrFif
|
1 min
|
2021-06-18T13:23:22.780000
|
2021-06-18T13:38:16.253000
|
2022-01-06T12:52:04.555000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Defi,Defi Project,Pancakeswap,Bsc,Crosschain Bridge
|
<section>
<p>Welcome to Mercurity.Finance. Here is the operation report for June 5th — June 18th! Read this report to learn about the progress of Mercurity.Finance during the last two weeks.</p>
<p><strong>BSC Cross-Chain Bridge is running smoothly</strong></p>
<p>The BSC cross-chain bridge has been running smoothly since its official launch. Through the cross-chain bridge, MEEs on Ether and Coin Smartchain can be transferred to each other, and the MEE/BUSD liquidity pool has been added on pancake for users to trade.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1080/0*de3nSDMnn0DuYMwQ" width="1080" height="348" loading="lazy" />
<p><strong>Insurance protocol optimization, testing</strong></p>
<p>We conducted Insurance protocol optimization and upgrading.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1080/0*lubVDabCywqSrFif" width="1080" height="734" loading="lazy" />
<p>1. Added LP field to handicap</p>
<p>2. Optimized the operation and display of buying and selling</p>
<p>3. Optimized the display of order book data</p>
<p>4. Added fields of loss and payout to order book</p>
<p>5. Optimized thepremium algorithm</p>
<p>6. Fixed some bugs</p>
<p>7. Optimized some operational experiences</p>
<p><strong>Insurance protocols are under continuous testing and you can help!</strong></p>
<p>Request a test coin form at:</p>
<p><a href="https://forms.gle/fqCxphUcYNMqP46J6">https://forms.gle/fqCxphUcYNMqP46J6</a></p>
<p>Test feedback form.</p>
<p><a href="https://forms.gle/j2cV36xRqzeM7cYWA">https://forms.gle/j2cV36xRqzeM7cYWA</a></p>
<p><strong>Volunteer Recruitment</strong></p>
<p>Mercurity is looking for volunteers worldwide. Interested users can contact us at https://forms.gle/HKsAbMdHv9fB3zwk8</p>
<p><strong>Industry Insights</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=Mzg4NDUxNDc0OQ==&mid=2247485057&idx=1&sn=cd8e7710899bd1c3dbb9682c1a4e823c&chksm=cfb64c53f8c1c545e5ca2f2f5399663cca2409772c231083df953e34ec92d35cd1f743507cec&scene=21#wechat_redirect">Mercurity.Finance Industry Insights</a></p>
<p><strong>Future Planning</strong></p>
<p>The insurance protocol is still under continuous testing and will be live in the near future after the testing is completed.</p>
</section>
|
Mercurity.Finance Operations Report (June 5— June 18)
Welcome to Mercurity.Finance. Here is the operation report for June 5th — June 18th! Read this report to learn about the progress of Mercurity.Finance during the last two weeks.
BSC Cross-Chain Bridge is running smoothly
The BSC cross-chain bridge has been running smoothly since its official launch. Through the cross-chain bridge, MEEs on Ether and Coin Smartchain can be transferred to each other, and the MEE/BUSD liquidity pool has been added on pancake for users to trade.
Insurance protocol optimization, testing
We conducted Insurance protocol optimization and upgrading.
1. Added LP field to handicap
2. Optimized the operation and display of buying and selling
3. Optimized the display of order book data
4. Added fields of loss and payout to order book
5. Optimized thepremium algorithm
6. Fixed some bugs
7. Optimized some operational experiences
Insurance protocols are under continuous testing and you can help!
Request a test coin form at:
https://forms.gle/fqCxphUcYNMqP46J6
Test feedback form.
https://forms.gle/j2cV36xRqzeM7cYWA
Volunteer Recruitment
Mercurity is looking for volunteers worldwide. Interested users can contact us at https://forms.gle/HKsAbMdHv9fB3zwk8
Industry Insights
Mercurity.Finance Industry Insights
Future Planning
The insurance protocol is still under continuous testing and will be live in the near future after the testing is completed.
|
8025bbcb-bed3-54c4-9a63-aaca586c82de
|
25/08/2025 16:03:34
|
https://medium.com/@ThinkOnYourOwn/meet-the-man-who-makes-bread-that-looks-like-body-parts-9b0f3025343c
|
medium.com
|
Meet The Man Who Makes Bread That Looks Like Body Parts
|
Kittiwat Unarrom, an artist from Thailand, creates unique loaves of bread shaped like various human body parts.
|
Think On Your Own
|
https://medium.com/@ThinkOnYourOwn
|
9b0f3025343c
|
1 min
|
2023-09-30T01:40:31.194000
|
2023-09-30T01:43:15.911000
|
2023-10-01T05:07:02.377000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Grotesque,Bread,Body Parts,Kittiwat Unarrom,Think On Your Own
|
<section>
<p><em><strong>Kittiwat Unarrom, an artist from Thailand, creates unique loaves of bread shaped like various human bod</em>y parts.</strong></p>
<p>He loves to make grotesque-looking bread that is incredibly realistic-looking and delicious as well.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*EswLGkPKkBuNgq-yd7Sh6Q.jpeg" width="700" height="525" loading="lazy" />
<p><em><strong>He believes art shouldn’t be limited to art galleries and </em>museums.</strong></p>
<p>His body-part bread looks just like the real thing, but he admits it’s pretty strange eating someone’s head, piece by piece, and looking in their eyes at the same time.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*ELXIdwgWg_DuBXticOFuYw.jpeg" width="500" height="375" loading="lazy" />
<p></p>
</section>
|
Meet The Man Who Makes Bread That Looks Like Body Parts
Kittiwat Unarrom, an artist from Thailand, creates unique loaves of bread shaped like various human body parts.
He loves to make grotesque-looking bread that is incredibly realistic-looking and delicious as well.
He believes art shouldn’t be limited to art galleries and museums.
His body-part bread looks just like the real thing, but he admits it’s pretty strange eating someone’s head, piece by piece, and looking in their eyes at the same time.
|
6231ba64-472b-5afb-b1bf-5268d1988cd2
|
25/08/2025 16:03:34
|
|
https://medium.com/@jugaadtiger/dynamix-predicting-me-on-x-through-work-business-and-grassroots-35bc738d5e02
|
medium.com
|
DynamiX: Predicting Me on X Through Work, Business, and Grassroots
|
Tomorrow’s Me in Today’s Noise
|
Jugaad Tiger
|
https://medium.com/@jugaadtiger
|
35bc738d5e02
|
1 min
|
2025-03-11T02:35:52.296000
|
2025-03-11T03:47:18.717000
|
2025-03-11T05:22:31.176000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Artificial Intelligence,Culture,Writing,Technology,UX
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1792/1*SwKqOv0XWGLdm2kdkcsIkA.jpeg" width="1792" height="1024" loading="lazy" />
<p>X tracks my likes—comedy, talks—but not my next step. DynamiX does: AI watches my interests over time, across tweets, Spaces, actions, multiplying them into my future as work, business, and grassroots shift. It’s my path on X, not a freeze-frame. Here’s how.</p>
<p>Users win with a guide. Work’s going remote—I’m into productivity hacks. DynamiX sees me join gig-economy Spaces, multiplies that into freelance tips next. X feeds me chats, tools, hustles—fitting my shift. Grassroots? I’m on local threads; it grows me into community fixes. I get help now, a path later.</p>
<p>Marketers win with timing. Business trends lean data—I’m on startup talks. DynamiX multiplies that into analytics tools, pitches software before I shop. Grassroots buzz? I’m in eco-threads; it predicts green buys, ads hit early. It’s my future me, not a guess.</p>
<p>The solution’s clear: AI tracks my moves—time on work rants, chats in business Spaces, grassroots posts. It multiplies my interests—hacks to gigs, talks to tools, threads to action—predicting my arc. Add it to my X Multiplied formula: Relevance picks my now, Engagement digs deep, Payoff delivers wins—DynamiX plots my tomorrow. X turns guide, not scroll.</p>
<p>If this sparks you, check my piece on rules vs. chaos: <a href="https://medium.com/@jugaadtiger/leelas-flow-karma-s-throw-the-bhagavad-geeta-on-life-s-grand-show-b7025fbecc61">Leela’s Flow, Karma’s Throw: The Bhagavad Geeta on Life’s Grand Show</a></p>
<p>X stays noise unless it multiplies me. Work flows, business pivots, grassroots rises—DynamiX keeps me ahead. Relevance × Engagement × Payoff, plus prediction = my X.</p>
<p><strong>X—see my future or lose my present</strong>.</p>
</section>
|
DynamiX: Predicting Me on X Through Work, Business, and Grassroots
Today's Me in Today’s Noise
X tracks my likes—comedy, talks—but not my next step. DynamiX does: AI watches my interests over time, across tweets, Spaces, actions, multiplying them into my future as work, business, and grassroots shift. It’s my path on X, not a freeze-frame. Here’s how.
Users win with a guide. Work’s going remote—I’m into productivity hacks. DynamiX sees me join gig-economy Spaces, multiplies that into freelance tips next. X feeds me chats, tools, hustles—fitting my shift. Grassroots? I’m on local threads; it grows me into community fixes. I get help now, a path later.
Marketers win with timing. Business trends lean data—I’m on startup talks. DynamiX multiplies that into analytics tools, pitches software before I shop. Grassroots buzz? I’m in eco-threads; it predicts green buys, ads hit early. It’s my future me, not a guess.
The solution’s clear: AI tracks my moves—time on work rants, chats in business Spaces, grassroots posts. It multiplies my interests—hacks to gigs, talks to tools, threads to action—predicting my arc. Add it to my X Multiplied formula: Relevance picks my now, Engagement digs deep, Payoff delivers wins—DynamiX plots my tomorrow. X turns guide, not scroll.
If this sparks you, check my piece on rules vs. chaos: Leela’s Flow, Karma’s Throw: The Bhagavad Geeta on Life’s Grand Show
X stays noise unless it multiplies me. Work flows, business pivots, grassroots rises—DynamiX keeps me ahead. Relevance × Engagement × Payoff, plus prediction = my X.
X—see my future or lose my present.
|
497e30a3-70ad-55dd-aab0-371cf1a543d4
|
25/08/2025 16:03:34
|
|
https://blog.mb-consulting.dev/doubling-your-engineering-team-wont-double-the-output-e3bb626073b0
|
medium.com
|
Doubling your engineering team won’t double the output
|
A qualitative analysis on the myth of linear growth: understanding the realities of expanding your engineering team(s)
|
Matteo Bianchi
|
https://medium.com/@mbianchidev
|
e3bb626073b0
|
5 min
|
2023-03-16T08:39:46.899000
|
2023-04-07T10:20:53.109000
|
2023-04-22T13:05:22.811000
| 0 | 1 |
en
|
Engineering,Engineering Management,Teamwork,Team Building
|
<section>
<h3>A qualitative analysis on the myth of linear growth: understanding the realities of expanding your engineering team(s)</h3>
<p>As an IT business grows, there will be a time when the engineering/product team needs to expand to keep up with the demand for new functionalities, scalability and agility.
While it may seem like a logical solution to go on a hire frenzy and multiply the team size the reality is that this strategy can and eventually will backfire, after a few years, when the bubble blows.
The 2023 big layoffs of Meta, IBM, Dell, Microsoft (and I could go on forever) are the hard evidences of the point I’m trying to make.</p>
<p>In fact, adding more people to an engineering team doesn’t necessarily lead to a linear increase in output, and in some cases, it can even decrease the overall productivity.
No, I’m not talking of some Pareto-backed bullshit that some people like to shamelessly think and, more serious, share:
“If you fire 80% of your workforce you are still fine with the 20% left”.
Hell no. That’s not true.</p>
<p>But anyway, back to my point.</p>
<h3>The point</h3>
<p>Something that needs to be taken into consideration is the productivity factore inside the team. I like to visualize it and valorize it as a score that goes from 0 to 1.
Let’s assume that when 4 of our engineers are working together, the output is 1, even if I think that the best teams often reaches 0.7 at most.
When the team is doubled to 8 engineers, the expected output would be 2, right? Nope, wrong.
Not only it won’t double, in some case it won’t even increase by 50%.
In fact, the output in most cases and after the initial re-assessment period, will still be somewhere between 1 and 1.5, but why?</p>
<h3>The reasons</h3>
<p>One of the reasons why doubling the engineering team doesn’t lead to a proportional increase in output is… (drumroll please) the <strong>onboarding </strong>process.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*N19_H6-wvpUKcwHQ.jpg" width="1200" height="630" loading="lazy" />
<p>Each new member of the team needs to get acquainted with the new colleagues, get in touch with the company’s processes/policies, and become familiar with the products they are working on.
This process can take a considerable amount of time, and it can take even longer if the company is heavily using custom tools, new technologies or methodologies that the new hires are not familiar with.
Providing clear documentation, a buddy/mentor to pair up with for the first weeks, scheduled check-ins and expected goals (the smaller the better) are all tecniques to lower the effect of the onboarding process on the overall productivity of new team members.
This is the factor that most influences the output in the first period of your size increment.</p>
<p>Another factor to take into account is: <strong>team building</strong>.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/600/0*HIyOgJVXZb74IYUA.jpg" width="600" height="664" loading="lazy" />
<p>A cohesive team is more productive than a group of individuals just working together. When the team grows, it can become more challenging to maintain a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.
New members may take some time to integrate into the team, and it may take longer for the team to reach optimal performance levels.
Finding personalities that fits well together or in an existing team is never easy but having clear roadmaps, objectives and careers paths often helps.</p>
<p>There will also be a time where <strong>friction</strong> rises within the team.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/501/0*u7hznCHKGCd3eXk2" width="501" height="499" loading="lazy" />
<p>Even the best teams can experience it; it can happen due to differences in opinions, work styles, communication issues, strict deadlines or project contraints.
The more people on the team, the higher the likelihood of friction occurring and when friction levels increase, productivity will surely decrease, therefore the output of your team won’t grow linearly with the number of its members.
Well, there is no easy way to enable team building and diminish friction, surely a good hiring process that takes into account attitude and personality along with technical skills is a good starting point but, more often than not, insufficient.
Creating a sense of shared responsibility/merit, handling conflicts or criticism in an open and constructive way (especially when management is involved), listening and giving space to your tech peeps… These are all fundamental steps and there is no easy recipe.</p>
<p>Now a big one (pun intended): <strong>size</strong>.
An engineering team with 10 people is too big and should be split in two 5-people teams. I said what I said and you can’t change my mind.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/577/1*mgPkCWPsrLJQJq1cixhy1A.png" width="577" height="432" loading="lazy" />
<p>First of all: engineering managers and team leaders are human beings, uncapable of duplicating. They have to handle 1–1 meetings, a constant research of issues + solutions, coaching, discussions about objectives, priorities and delivery. There is a lot on their plate, help them by sizing your team accordingly.</p>
<p>Your team is made of human engineers too (at least until AI will take over). They need to create bonds, having relationships with each other and communicating.
Having 4/5 close colleagues is manageable but, on the other hand, working with 10+ people on the same team, everyday? Definitely an additional challenge you don’t want to give them.</p>
<p>“Divide et impera”, Romans were right all along.</p>
<h3>The solution</h3>
<p>Jokes on you! There is no one-fits-all solution in IT, but summarizing, what can companies do to handle these problems?</p>
<ul>
<li>Having a good management that can properly integrate new team members and handle the entire group;</li>
<li>Keeping the groups small;</li>
<li>Hiring people with experience in the same technology stack, culture, or industry;</li>
<li>Create a healthy environment where communication is key;</li>
<li>Reduce onboarding time with documentation and processes;</li>
</ul>
<p>Alternatively, one can try outsourcing to other IT companies that already have well-oiled teams who can accelerate your company growth.
These companies have already gone through the onboarding, training, and team building processes, so they can deliver high-quality output from day one.</p>
<p>No, I don’t mean big consulting firms who usually work by numbers and not by quality, often resulting in high prices and low-quality deliveries.
I mean smaller companies relying on quality and optimization, companies that hire in a sustainable fashion and value people above all, clients included.</p>
<p>That’s why I say that doubling the engineering team numbers won’t (linearly) double the output.
Title is a clickbait, as always!</p>
<p>Follow me here, hit that green button!
Feel free to comment, share and tag me to discuss.
You can follow my other social media (<a href="https://mb-consulting.dev/all-links">here</a>).</p>
<p>Want a call with me to chat about your engineering issues and check what my company can do for you? Hop on <a href="https://www.kubelab.cloud/book-online">this link</a>.</p>
<p>See you next time!</p>
</section>
|
Doubling your engineering team won’t double the output
A qualitative analysis on the myth of linear growth: understanding the realities of expanding your engineering team(s)
As an IT business grows, there will be a time when the engineering/product team needs to expand to keep up with the demand for new functionalities, scalability and agility.
While it may seem like a logical solution to go on a hire frenzy and multiply the team size the reality is that this strategy can and eventually will backfire, after a few years, when the bubble blows.
The 2023 big layoffs of Meta, IBM, Dell, Microsoft (and I could go on forever) are the hard evidences of the point I’m trying to make.
In fact, adding more people to an engineering team doesn’t necessarily lead to a linear increase in output, and in some cases, it can even decrease the overall productivity.
No, I’m not talking of some Pareto-backed bullshit that some people like to shamelessly think and, more serious, share:
“If you fire 80% of your workforce you are still fine with the 20% left”.
Hell no. That’s not true.
But anyway, back to my point.
The point
Something that needs to be taken into consideration is the productivity factore inside the team. I like to visualize it and valorize it as a score that goes from 0 to 1.
Let’s assume that when 4 of our engineers are working together, the output is 1, even if I think that the best teams often reaches 0.7 at most.
When the team is doubled to 8 engineers, the expected output would be 2, right? Nope, wrong.
Not only it won’t double, in some case it won’t even increase by 50%.
In fact, the output in most cases and after the initial re-assessment period, will still be somewhere between 1 and 1.5, but why?
The reasons
One of the reasons why doubling the engineering team doesn’t lead to a proportional increase in output is… (drumroll please) the onboarding process.
Each new member of the team needs to get acquainted with the new colleagues, get in touch with the company’s processes/policies, and become familiar with the products they are working on.
This process can take a considerable amount of time, and it can take even longer if the company is heavily using custom tools, new technologies or methodologies that the new hires are not familiar with.
Providing clear documentation, a buddy/mentor to pair up with for the first weeks, scheduled check-ins and expected goals (the smaller the better) are all tecniques to lower the effect of the onboarding process on the overall productivity of new team members.
This is the factor that most influences the output in the first period of your size increment.
Another factor to take into account is: team building.
A cohesive team is more productive than a group of individuals just working together. When the team grows, it can become more challenging to maintain a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.
New members may take some time to integrate into the team, and it may take longer for the team to reach optimal performance levels.
Finding personalities that fits well together or in an existing team is never easy but having clear roadmaps, objectives and careers paths often helps.
There will also be a time where friction rises within the team.
Even the best teams can experience it; it can happen due to differences in opinions, work styles, communication issues, strict deadlines or project contraints.
The more people on the team, the higher the likelihood of friction occurring and when friction levels increase, productivity will surely decrease, therefore the output of your team won’t grow linearly with the number of its members.
Well, there is no easy way to enable team building and diminish friction, surely a good hiring process that takes into account attitude and personality along with technical skills is a good starting point but, more often than not, insufficient.
Creating a sense of shared responsibility/merit, handling conflicts or criticism in an open and constructive way (especially when management is involved), listening and giving space to your tech peeps… These are all fundamental steps and there is no easy recipe.
Now a big one (pun intended): size.
An engineering team with 10 people is too big and should be split in two 5-people teams. I said what I said and you can’t change my mind.
First of all: engineering managers and team leaders are human beings, uncapable of duplicating. They have to handle 1–1 meetings, a constant research of issues + solutions, coaching, discussions about objectives, priorities and delivery. There is a lot on their plate, help them by sizing your team accordingly.
Your team is made of human engineers too (at least until AI will take over). They need to create bonds, having relationships with each other and communicating.
Having 4/5 close colleagues is manageable but, on the other hand, working with 10+ people on the same team, everyday? Definitely an additional challenge you don’t want to give them.
“Divide et impera”, Romans were right all along.
The solution
Jokes on you! There is no one-fits-all solution in IT, but summarizing, what can companies do to handle these problems?
Having a good management that can properly integrate new team members and handle the entire group;
Keeping the groups small;
Hiring people with experience in the same technology stack, culture, or industry;
Create a healthy environment where communication is key;
Reduce onboarding time with documentation and processes;
Alternatively, one can try outsourcing to other IT companies that already have well-oiled teams who can accelerate your company growth.
These companies have already gone through the onboarding, training, and team building processes, so they can deliver high-quality output from day one.
No, I don’t mean big consulting firms who usually work by numbers and not by quality, often resulting in high prices and low-quality deliveries.
I mean smaller companies relying on quality and optimization, companies that hire in a sustainable fashion and value people above all, clients included.
That’s why I say that doubling the engineering team numbers won’t (linearly) double the output.
Title is a clickbait, as always!
Follow me here, hit that green button!
Feel free to comment, share and tag me to discuss.
You can follow my other social media (here).
Want a call with me to chat about your engineering issues and check what my company can do for you? Hop on this link.
See you next time!
|
c1294701-b786-59e1-8836-b576d17fbf8d
|
25/08/2025 16:03:35
|
|
https://medium.com/@suryatallapragada/how-seo-is-killing-creative-writers-f7fbe6c73937
|
medium.com
|
"How SEO is Killing Creative Writers"
|
As writers, we all know the importance of being discovered by our target audience. With the rise of the internet, search engines have…
|
Thinking Out Loud
|
https://medium.com/@suryatallapragada
|
f7fbe6c73937
|
2 min
|
2023-02-11T18:09:29.354000
|
2023-02-11T18:13:41.013000
|
2023-02-11T18:13:42.822000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
SEO,Writing,Content,Seo Tips
|
<section>
<h1>"How SEO is Killing Creative Writers"</h1>
<p><em>As writers, we all know the importance of being discovered by our target audience. With the rise of the internet, search engines have become a powerful tool for getting our work seen. But as much as we rely on search engine optimization (SEO) to help us reach our audience, there's no denying that it's also having a negative impact on our writing.</em></p>
<p><em>In today's world, where everyone is competing for attention online, SEO has become a major factor in how we create and present our work. We're told to use keywords, to write in a certain style, and to follow specific formulas in order to rank higher in search results. This might help us get more clicks, but it's killing our creativity and our ability to tell original stories.</em></p>
<p><em>Imagine a world where every piece of writing is the same. Where every article or blog post follows the same formula and uses the same language in order to get noticed. This is the world that SEO is creating for us. It's a world where the focus is on being found, rather than on being unique or creative.</em></p>
<p><em>As writers, it's our job to use our words to tell stories, to convey emotion, and to inspire our readers. We should be focusing on creating work that's original, not work that's optimized for search engines. But with so much emphasis on SEO, it's becoming harder and harder to do just that.</em></p>
<p><em>The problem with SEO is that it's taking away the freedom that writers need to be creative. It's restricting our ability to tell the stories we want to tell and to use the words that we want to use. It's forcing us to write in a way that's not natural or true to who we are as writers. And this is a problem that needs to be addressed.</em></p>
<p><em>We need to find a way to balance the importance of being discovered with the importance of being creative. We need to find a way to use SEO to reach our audience, without letting it dictate the way we write. Because at the end of the day, it's our words that matter, not the number of clicks we get.</em></p>
<p><em>SEO is killing creative writers. It’s taking away the freedom we need to be original and to tell the stories that we want to tell. We need to find a way to use SEO to reach our audience without sacrificing our creativity. It’s time to put the focus back on writing that’s true to who we are, not just writing that’s optimized for search engines.</em></p>
</section>
|
Photo by Merakist on Unsplash
"How SEO is Killing Creative Writers"
As writers, we all know the importance of being discovered by our target audience. With the rise of the internet, search engines have become a powerful tool for getting our work seen. But as much as we rely on search engine optimization (SEO) to help us reach our audience, there's no denying that it's also having a negative impact on our writing.
In today's world, where everyone is competing for attention online, SEO has become a major factor in how we create and present our work. We're told to use keywords, to write in a certain style, and to follow specific formulas in order to rank higher in search results. This might help us get more clicks, but it's killing our creativity and our ability to tell original stories.
Imagine a world where every piece of writing is the same. Where every article or blog post follows the same formula and uses the same language in order to get noticed. This is the world that SEO is creating for us. It's a world where the focus is on being found, rather than on being unique or creative.
As writers, it's our job to use our words to tell stories, to convey emotion, and to inspire our readers. We should be focusing on creating work that's original, not work that's optimized for search engines. But with so much emphasis on SEO, it's becoming harder and harder to do just that.
The problem with SEO is that it's taking away the freedom that writers need to be creative. It's restricting our ability to tell the stories we want to tell and to use the words that we want to use. It's forcing us to write in a way that's not natural or true to who we are as writers. And this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
We need to find a way to balance the importance of being discovered with the importance of being creative. We need to find a way to use SEO to reach our audience, without letting it dictate the way we write. Because at the end of the day, it's our words that matter, not the number of clicks we get.
SEO is killing creative writers. It’s taking away the freedom we need to be original and to tell the stories that we want to tell. We need to find a way to use SEO to reach our audience without sacrificing our creativity. It’s time to put the focus back on writing that’s true to who we are, not just writing that’s optimized for search engines.
|
9a68170e-5b85-5296-b03e-b592c57bce54
|
25/08/2025 16:03:36
|
|
https://medium.com/@maham.saleem/the-1884-time-war-trains-time-zones-tensions-d841f59d245d
|
medium.com
|
The 1884 Time-War — trains & time-zones tensions
|
It’s 1844. You have important business in London but find yourself in Exeter (how you got there is another story). Luckily, in the summer…
|
Maham Saleem
|
https://medium.com/@maham.saleem
|
d841f59d245d
|
8 min
|
2022-11-26T20:28:04.627000
|
2023-01-02T14:32:06.040000
|
2023-01-22T19:01:08.020000
| 0 | 116 |
en
|
Politics,History Of Technology,Time,Trains,International Relations
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1024/0*2BHQELeHXtDrLwC0.jpg" width="1024" height="683" loading="lazy" />
<p>It’s 1844. You have important business in London but find yourself in Exeter (how you got there is another story). Luckily, in the summer, the Bristol and Exeter Railway company opened the final stretch of its Bristol to Exeter track. So you’ll catch the train to Bristol, you decide, and then catch a Great Western Railways train to London. You ask a passerby for the time, ‘It’s 20 minutes to noon.’ You know the train leaves at noon exactly and you’re only a few streets away, so you have time to get to the station, buy your ticket, and board with five minutes to spare. Easy. Nevertheless you walk briskly — you have important business after all. You arrive at the station after 10 minutes of briskness, eager to board. But the train is nowhere to be seen. ‘It already left,’ explains the station master, pointing to the clock. 12:06?! How?</p>
<p>No, the passerby did not give you the wrong time, nor were you particularly slow at walking. You’re late for the train because the Bristol and Exeter Railway now runs on London time (14 minutes head of local Exeter time). But what of the important business in London? You’re not the only one to complain, there’s been a recent rise in complaints written to the Times about confusing train times causing chaos and dis-coordination.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/800/0*S7e7MXmgnuc8tQS8" width="800" height="600" loading="lazy" />
<p>Local towns have always had slightly varied times, determined in relation to the sun. Back when travelling and communication were slow, different unsynchronised times weren’t a major inconvenience. For centuries, most people stayed put and so different local times didn’t affect them, and for the majority of people, watches were an unnecessary luxury. Travellers could just adjust their clocks or watches when they arrived at the new town.</p>
<p>The railway boom changed this. Passengers need to know when the train will arrive and depart. Initially, using new telegraph technology, railway companies used to have their own ‘internal’ times (often the local time at the railway company’s headquarters) that could be transmitted or corrected using telegrams. This allowed for conversions between different times but was ridiculously inconvenient — imagine having to constantly convert between local time and different train times depending on your location and the rail operator in order to catch connecting trains or coordinate other appointments.</p>
<p>The easiest solution to these annoying inconsistencies would be one universal British time, and the wheels for this were already in motion. In 1840, Great Western Railway standardised its times to follow Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or London time. It was reported that by 1855, 98% of towns and cities had transferred to GMT, and by 1880, the British government passed the <em>Statutes (Definition of Time) Act</em> which meant GMT was legally adopted country-wide. This movement didn’t come without resistance, though. It caused a number of cities like Oxford and Bristol to adopt three handed clocks — two minute hands for local and railway time respectively.</p>
<p>In Exeter, the protests were stranger still. Watches sold in the city in the late 1840s had two minute dials for local and London time. Some public clocks showed London time whereas others showed local time, and clocks inside the station only ever showed London time. There was a campaign to bring Exeter in line with London time, which cited as evidence for the need for change a case where, ‘a dispute … arose as to a young lady being of age, owing to the church clock saying she was of age and the Cathedral clock saying she was not.’ The mayor and railway company, in an attempt to ease confusion, asked the Dean and Chapter of Exeter to change the time on the cathedral clock which acted as the timekeeper for the city, but the Dean refused. By 1852, however, the telegraph had arrived at Exeter station, and other Western cities like Bath, Bristol, and Plymouth had already adjusted their time. After more pressure from the people of Exeter, the Dean finally conceded to changing the local time in the November of that year.</p>
<p>Varied local times were an issue globally too, and nowhere more so than in America. Across the US and Canada, there were hundreds of local city times, varying by more than three hours, which proved troublesome with new speedy travel and communication. In 1847, noon in Washington DC was 9:02am in Sacramento, 11:18am in Chicago, 12:54pm in Halifax. The confusing conversion system would prove not only inconvenient but lethal with a number of train collisions where the train guards had different times set on their watches.</p>
<p>Unlike in Britain, it would be impossible to implement a universal American time because it’s so geographically widespread. But the train companies decided to ignore local times and use more coordinated alternatives. In late 1883, US railroads started using a standard time system with four time zones based on GMT, Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific, and these were adopted as official national time zones by the 1918 <em>Standard Time Act</em>.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*5Uc69xHuuegcqDYo.jpg" width="2000" height="1080" loading="lazy" />
<p>Just as rail travel had meant a need for consistent times across different cities, the laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable and increased foreign travel and communication demanded international coordination of time measurement. The 1871 International Geographer’s Congress had establishing an international prime meridian high on its agenda, and the next year, the US congress passed an act that authorised the President to call an international conference to establish a common prime meridian for time and longitude.</p>
<p>46 delegates, representing 26 countries met in Washington DC in 1884. Chairman Admiral Rodgers of the USA began the conference by reminding the delegates of the importance of ‘throwing aside national preferences and inclinations’ and ‘seek only the common good of mankind, and gain for science and for commerce’. Despite the faint plea for neutrality, Greenwich quickly became centre of the debate; most navigators had been setting their chronometers (very precise clocks that find longitude at sea) to Greenwich Mean Time for decades, and most global shipping relied on the Greenwich Meridian. As mentioned earlier, railways in America had also already divided North American time zones based on GMT, so Greenwich seemed the natural, most convenient option for a global meridian.</p>
<p>The desire and incentive for coordination at this conference were there for everyone — better global trade links and communication demanded it. But national rivalries between powerful empires were high. Pride and humiliation was at stake, between Britain and France in particular. There was much back and forth between the French delegates and others about whether adopting a meridian passing through Greenwich was reasonable or fair, arguing instead in favour of adopting the meridian at Ferro. Frustration ensued between the delegates on whether more credence should be granted to convenience or fairness, after which Lefaivre, a French delegate proposed the resolution, ‘<em>That the initial meridian should have a character of absolute neutrality. It should be chosen exclusively so as to secure to science and to international commerce all possible advantages, and especially should cut no great continent — neither Europe nor America,</em>’ on the 6th October. On the 13th October it was dramatically defeated 21 to 3 (with only France, Brazil and San Domingo voting for). France ultimately didn’t adopt the Greenwich Meridian as the beginning of the universal day until 1911, after which they still called it a late variation of Paris mean time.</p>
<p>Despite the impediments caused by national rivalry, the outcomes of the International Meridian Conference were significant. They resolved that there should be one meridian for all nations in place of the many that currently exist, which they decided would run through the Greenwich observatory. They proposed the adoption of a universal day that would not interfere with local time, that would begin at midnight at the meridian, and that as soon as possible, astronomical and nautical days should universally begin at midnight.</p>
<p>Although time zones were not adopted at the conference, the establishment of a universal meridian certainly sped up the adoption of hourly time zones as we have today. Engineer Sir Sandford Fleming’s proposal to divide the world into time-zones based on 15 degrees of longitude was considered at the conference but not adopted so as not to interfere with local times. Instead, time zones were adopted later by each country individually a number of hours ahead or behind coordinated universal time(UTC), which is just a more neutral name for GMT. It’s no surprise that Anglo-French tensions also played a role in the abbreviation of coordinated universal time. The simplest abbreviation would be CUT, surely? Not for the French, who call it ‘temps universel coordonné’ and would have much preferred the acronym TUC. Ultimately UTC was agreed as for both the English and the French, it is better to have a bad abbreviation than one that gives the edge to your arch-nemesis.</p>
<p>Really, what this conference marked was the beginning of globalisation. The coming together of these parties to establish convenience in global trade, travel, and communication and easier collaboration in the scientific community, illustrates intentions to increase international cooperation. The aim was no longer to conquer ever greater expanses of land for imperial glory. Instead, there was a growing acceptance that internationalisation would mean partnership with foreign entities rather than supremacy over them.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/860/0*27o0mgWdxIjtIrgC.jpg" width="860" height="720" loading="lazy" />
<p>Time has continued to be used as a political weapon well into the 20th century. French time used to be the same as British time from 1911 until 1940, when France, ever involved in time-related struggles, was invaded by the German military in the second world war. Occupied France was moved an hour ahead in time, aligning it with German time, and in 1941, the Vichy regime aligned the southern free zone with occupied France to unify railway timetables. A reversal back to GMT after the war was cancelled, and ever since, France has operated an hour ahead of GMT (and two hours ahead during the summer).</p>
<p>And what of modern time-related conflict (outside Doctor Who episodes)? A particularly tragic example comes from China. Unlike Russia, which has 11 time-zones across it’s landmass, the entire land expanse of China operates in one time-zone. China used to have five time zones, but after the Chinese Communist Party(CPC) came to power in 1949 the government required the entire country to operate on Beijing Standard Time for the sake of ‘national unity’. Parts of China’s westernmost province Xinjiang, are directly north of Pakistan, but officially operate 3 hours ahead. In summertime, sunset in most of Xinjiang is at midnight, and in winter, dawn isn’t until the late morning hours. But the locals, mostly Uyghurs, have long used their own time, two hours behind Beijing. As well as being practical, keeping local time used to allow the Uyghur people a form of independence and autonomy that the CPC government tends to suppress. Though currently, I imagine time-keeping is low down the priorities of a community facing something between ethnic cleansing and genocide at the hands of the Chinese government.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/640/0*jkdLpcgkSGlis__8" width="640" height="400" loading="lazy" />
<p>Time-keeping is of, course, primarily logistical, and most struggles over time-zones are ultimately about practicality and convenience. But whoever controls the clocks has power over economic activity and people’s daily lives, and as we have seen in some cases, it can be used as a tool to exert political influence or dominance. Did the Dean of Exeter, Thomas Lowe, know in the 1850s that his protests over higher authorities imposing time-changes on his people would be echoed in the coming centuries in far more dire and dark circumstances? Probably not.</p>
</section>
|
The 1884 Time-War — trains & time-zone tensions
It’s 1844. You have important business in London but find yourself in Exeter (how you got there is another story). Luckily, in the summer, the Bristol and Exeter Railway company opened the final stretch of its Bristol to Exeter track. So you’ll catch the train to Bristol, you decide, and then catch a Great Western Railways train to London. You ask a passerby for the time, ‘It’s 20 minutes to noon.’ You know the train leaves at noon exactly and you’re only a few streets away, so you have time to get to the station, buy your ticket, and board with five minutes to spare. Easy. Nevertheless you walk briskly — you have important business after all. You arrive at the station after 10 minutes of briskness, eager to board. But the train is nowhere to be seen. ‘It already left,’ explains the station master, pointing to the clock. 12:06?! How?
No, the passerby did not give you the wrong time, nor were you particularly slow at walking. You’re late for the train because the Bristol and Exeter Railway now runs on London time (14 minutes head of local Exeter time). But what of the important business in London? You’re not the only one to complain, there’s been a recent rise in complaints written to the Times about confusing train times causing chaos and dis-coordination.
Local towns have always had slightly varied times, determined in relation to the sun. Back when travelling and communication were slow, different unsynchronised times weren’t a major inconvenience. For centuries, most people stayed put and so different local times didn’t affect them, and for the majority of people, watches were an unnecessary luxury. Travellers could just adjust their clocks or watches when they arrived at the new town.
The railway boom changed this. Passengers need to know when the train will arrive and depart. Initially, using new telegraph technology, railway companies used to have their own ‘internal’ times (often the local time at the railway company’s headquarters) that could be transmitted or corrected using telegrams. This allowed for conversions between different times but was ridiculously inconvenient — imagine having to constantly convert between local time and different train times depending on your location and the rail operator in order to catch connecting trains or coordinate other appointments.
The easiest solution to these annoying inconsistencies would be one universal British time, and the wheels for this were already in motion. In 1840, Great Western Railway standardised its times to follow Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or London time. It was reported that by 1855, 98% of towns and cities had transferred to GMT, and by 1880, the British government passed the Statutes (Definition of Time) Act which meant GMT was legally adopted country-wide. This movement didn’t come without resistance, though. It caused a number of cities like Oxford and Bristol to adopt three handed clocks — two minute hands for local and railway time respectively.
In Exeter, the protests were stranger still. Watches sold in the city in the late 1840s had two minute dials for local and London time. Some public clocks showed London time whereas others showed local time, and clocks inside the station only ever showed London time. There was a campaign to bring Exeter in line with London time, which cited as evidence for the need for change a case where, ‘a dispute … arose as to a young lady being of age, owing to the church clock saying she was of age and the Cathedral clock saying she was not.’ The mayor and railway company, in an attempt to ease confusion, asked the Dean and Chapter of Exeter to change the time on the cathedral clock which acted as the timekeeper for the city, but the Dean refused. By 1852, however, the telegraph had arrived at Exeter station, and other Western cities like Bath, Bristol, and Plymouth had already adjusted their time. After more pressure from the people of Exeter, the Dean finally conceded to changing the local time in the November of that year.
Varied local times were an issue globally too, and nowhere more so than in America. Across the US and Canada, there were hundreds of local city times, varying by more than three hours, which proved troublesome with new speedy travel and communication. In 1847, noon in Washington DC was 9:02am in Sacramento, 11:18am in Chicago, 12:54pm in Halifax. The confusing conversion system would prove not only inconvenient but lethal with a number of train collisions where the train guards had different times set on their watches.
Unlike in Britain, it would be impossible to implement a universal American time because it’s so geographically widespread. But the train companies decided to ignore local times and use more coordinated alternatives. In late 1883, US railroads started using a standard time system with four time zones based on GMT, Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific, and these were adopted as official national time zones by the 1918 Standard Time Act.
Just as rail travel had meant a need for consistent times across different cities, the laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable and increased foreign travel and communication demanded international coordination of time measurement. The 1871 International Geographer’s Congress had establishing an international prime meridian high on its agenda, and the next year, the US congress passed an act that authorised the President to call an international conference to establish a common prime meridian for time and longitude.
46 delegates, representing 26 countries met in Washington DC in 1884. Chairman Admiral Rodgers of the USA began the conference by reminding the delegates of the importance of ‘throwing aside national preferences and inclinations’ and ‘seek only the common good of mankind, and gain for science and for commerce’. Despite the faint plea for neutrality, Greenwich quickly became centre of the debate; most navigators had been setting their chronometers (very precise clocks that find longitude at sea) to Greenwich Mean Time for decades, and most global shipping relied on the Greenwich Meridian. As mentioned earlier, railways in America had also already divided North American time zones based on GMT, so Greenwich seemed the natural, most convenient option for a global meridian.
The desire and incentive for coordination at this conference were there for everyone — better global trade links and communication demanded it. But national rivalries between powerful empires were high. Pride and humiliation was at stake, between Britain and France in particular. There was much back and forth between the French delegates and others about whether adopting a meridian passing through Greenwich was reasonable or fair, arguing instead in favour of adopting the meridian at Ferro. Frustration ensued between the delegates on whether more credence should be granted to convenience or fairness, after which Lefaivre, a French delegate proposed the resolution, ‘That the initial meridian should have a character of absolute neutrality. It should be chosen exclusively so as to secure to science and to international commerce all possible advantages, and especially should cut no great continent — neither Europe nor America,’ on the 6th October. On the 13th October it was dramatically defeated 21 to 3 (with only France, Brazil and San Domingo voting for). France ultimately didn’t adopt the Greenwich Meridian as the beginning of the universal day until 1911, after which they still called it a late variation of Paris mean time.
Despite the impediments caused by national rivalry, the outcomes of the International Meridian Conference were significant. They resolved that there should be one meridian for all nations in place of the many that currently exist, which they decided would run through the Greenwich observatory. They proposed the adoption of a universal day that would not interfere with local time, that would begin at midnight at the meridian, and that as soon as possible, astronomical and nautical days should universally begin at midnight.
Although time zones were not adopted at the conference, the establishment of a universal meridian certainly sped up the adoption of hourly time zones as we have today. Engineer Sir Sandford Fleming’s proposal to divide the world into time-zones based on 15 degrees of longitude was considered at the conference but not adopted so as not to interfere with local times. Instead, time zones were adopted later by each country individually a number of hours ahead or behind coordinated universal time(UTC), which is just a more neutral name for GMT. It’s no surprise that Anglo-French tensions also played a role in the abbreviation of coordinated universal time. The simplest abbreviation would be CUT, surely? Not for the French, who call it ‘temps universel coordonné’ and would have much preferred the acronym TUC. Ultimately UTC was agreed as for both the English and the French, it is better to have a bad abbreviation than one that gives the edge to your arch-nemesis.
Really, what this conference marked was the beginning of globalisation. The coming together of these parties to establish convenience in global trade, travel, and communication and easier collaboration in the scientific community, illustrates intentions to increase international cooperation. The aim was no longer to conquer ever greater expanses of land for imperial glory. Instead, there was a growing acceptance that internationalisation would mean partnership with foreign entities rather than supremacy over them.
Time has continued to be used as a political weapon well into the 20th century. French time used to be the same as British time from 1911 until 1940, when France, ever involved in time-related struggles, was invaded by the German military in the second world war. Occupied France was moved an hour ahead in time, aligning it with German time, and in 1941, the Vichy regime aligned the southern free zone with occupied France to unify railway timetables. A reversal back to GMT after the war was cancelled, and ever since, France has operated an hour ahead of GMT (and two hours ahead during the summer).
And what of modern time-related conflict (outside Doctor Who episodes)? A particularly tragic example comes from China. Unlike Russia, which has 11 time-zones across it’s landmass, the entire land expanse of China operates in one time-zone. China used to have five time zones, but after the Chinese Communist Party(CPC) came to power in 1949 the government required the entire country to operate on Beijing Standard Time for the sake of ‘national unity’. Parts of China’s westernmost province Xinjiang, are directly north of Pakistan, but officially operate 3 hours ahead. In summertime, sunset in most of Xinjiang is at midnight, and in winter, dawn isn’t until the late morning hours. But the locals, mostly Uyghurs, have long used their own time, two hours behind Beijing. As well as being practical, keeping local time used to allow the Uyghur people a form of independence and autonomy that the CPC government tends to suppress. Though currently, I imagine time-keeping is low down the priorities of a community facing something between ethnic cleansing and genocide at the hands of the Chinese government.
Time-keeping is of, course, primarily logistical, and most struggles over time-zones are ultimately about practicality and convenience. But whoever controls the clocks has power over economic activity and people’s daily lives, and as we have seen in some cases, it can be used as a tool to exert political influence or dominance. Did the Dean of Exeter, Thomas Lowe, know in the 1850s that his protests over higher authorities imposing time-changes on his people would be echoed in the coming centuries in far more dire and dark circumstances? Probably not.
|
9f0490bc-fa43-5356-b562-ae3435049e37
|
25/08/2025 16:03:36
|
|
https://medium.com/@_wordvomit/this-is-gonna-be-long-thats-what-she-said-2758efa2cdb0
|
medium.com
|
This is gonna be long… that’s what she said
|
Online is a sad place to be right now. Outside is a scary place to be right now. I think our society needs a makeover. I think we’ve needed…
|
Tina Belle
|
https://medium.com/@_wordvomit
|
2758efa2cdb0
| null |
3 min
|
2016-07-10T21:26:14.145000
|
2016-07-10T21:46:42.986000
|
2016-07-10T21:46:42.986000
| 0 | 21 |
en
|
BlackLivesMatter,Racism,Dallas,Faith,Race War
|
<section>
<p>Online is a sad place to be right now. Outside is a scary place to be right now. I think our society needs a makeover. I think we’ve needed that for a very long time. It’s like, I get it. Police made a stupid decision in what happened with Alton Sterling, and his case isn’t the only one, which makes it worse. You know, I saw a video this morning of a police officer who tazed a boy for TWENTY THREE SECONDS, which is three times as long as an officer is supposed to during a stop. He had no reason for stopping the car. When the boy asked why he was being pulled over, the cop had no answer, which was stupid. The cop said later that he pulled the car over because he thought the plate was linked to a stolen vehicle. That boy now has permanent brain damage. I’m sure if you Googled it, you could find the story. Everyone is jumping on the black lives matter movement, and I get that too. Black lives DO matter. White lives matter. Mexican lives matter. Asian lives matter. Every life matters. People try to tell me that the only reason I think that is because I’m white and I’m privileged, but no. I’m far from privileged. And I am white, but I’ve never cared what color I am or what color you are. We all matter as human beings. THAT’S the reason I think that. Police need to stop killing PEOPLE. Yes, they need to stop killing black people, but they need to stop killing white people too. On that note, PEOPLE NEED TO STOP BEING STUPID AND JUST LISTENING TO THE POLICE. I know, I know, “how am I supposed to trust someone who already has a gun pointed in my face?” If the cop already has a gun pointed in your face before they ask you to do something, something’s wrong. That goes back to the point that police need to stop killing people. Someone told me that the only reason I can remain objective is because nothing like this has ever happened to me. False. I remain objective because I see where everyone is coming from and I UNDERSTAND where they’re coming from. Understanding. That’s what we need to help us overcome. I saw a post by Kevin Hart the other day. It was a quote from martin Luther King Jr. that said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” I have never heard truer words. Someone commented on the post and called him a coward. Told Kevin Hart that he was spineless for thinking that. 1. MLK Jr. originally said the words. You just called MLK Jr. spineless. You dumb. 2. Why does that make Kevin a coward? It is so easy to seek revenge. Do you know how hard it is not to react with violence when someone is violent toward you? Try it. Our human nature makes us want revenge and want to fight, but it’s a vicious, neverending cycle. In regards to the Dallas killings in response to what happened with Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile, how did that solve anything? If you want cops to stop killing black people, and you go kill a bunch of cops, how does that make anything better? What did you fix? Nothing. Drug dealers killed my uncle. Did I go after them? Did I try and kill them? No. They’re going to have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives. It’s not up to me whether they live or die. They could have died a week later. That’s God’s decision. He did what he thought was fit. I saw a post on Facebook yesterday, and a woman was calling others to come together and kill cops because it’s what they deserve. Says who? Since when do we as human beings decide who lives or dies? Last time I checked, the death penalty was over, and nobody can make that choice. I was disgusted when I saw that. We can’t change what has already happened. Sometimes that sucks because we really, reallywant to. God will take care of it. Faith. The sooner we realize that WE ARE ONE, the sooner the world can get better. Last post sighting that I’ll share. I saw one a few days ago that said, “What’s really sad is that overseas people of every race are DYING for our freedom, and we’re over here killing each other.” Think about that.</p>
</section>
|
This is gonna be long… that’s what she said
Online is a sad place to be right now. Outside is a scary place to be right now. I think our society needs a makeover. I think we’ve needed that for a very long time. It’s like, I get it. Police made a stupid decision in what happened with Alton Sterling, and his case isn’t the only one, which makes it worse. You know, I saw a video this morning of a police officer who tazed a boy for TWENTY THREE SECONDS, which is three times as long as an officer is supposed to during a stop. He had no reason for stopping the car. When the boy asked why he was being pulled over, the cop had no answer, which was stupid. The cop said later that he pulled the car over because he thought the plate was linked to a stolen vehicle. That boy now has permanent brain damage. I’m sure if you Googled it, you could find the story. Everyone is jumping on the black lives matter movement, and I get that too. Black lives DO matter. White lives matter. Mexican lives matter. Asian lives matter. Every life matters. People try to tell me that the only reason I think that is because I’m white and I’m privileged, but no. I’m far from privileged. And I am white, but I’ve never cared what color I am or what color you are. We all matter as human beings. THAT’S the reason I think that. Police need to stop killing PEOPLE. Yes, they need to stop killing black people, but they need to stop killing white people too. On that note, PEOPLE NEED TO STOP BEING STUPID AND JUST LISTENING TO THE POLICE. I know, I know, “how am I supposed to trust someone who already has a gun pointed in my face?” If the cop already has a gun pointed in your face before they ask you to do something, something’s wrong. That goes back to the point that police need to stop killing people. Someone told me that the only reason I can remain objective is because nothing like this has ever happened to me. False. I remain objective because I see where everyone is coming from and I UNDERSTAND where they’re coming from. Understanding. That’s what we need to help us overcome. I saw a post by Kevin Hart the other day. It was a quote from martin Luther King Jr. that said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” I have never heard truer words. Someone commented on the post and called him a coward. Told Kevin Hart that he was spineless for thinking that. 1. MLK Jr. originally said the words. You just called MLK Jr. spineless. You dumb. 2. Why does that make Kevin a coward? It is so easy to seek revenge. Do you know how hard it is not to react with violence when someone is violent toward you? Try it. Our human nature makes us want revenge and want to fight, but it’s a vicious, neverending cycle. In regards to the Dallas killings in response to what happened with Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile, how did that solve anything? If you want cops to stop killing black people, and you go kill a bunch of cops, how does that make anything better? What did you fix? Nothing. Drug dealers killed my uncle. Did I go after them? Did I try and kill them? No. They’re going to have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives. It’s not up to me whether they live or die. They could have died a week later. That’s God’s decision. He did what he thought was fit. I saw a post on Facebook yesterday, and a woman was calling others to come together and kill cops because it’s what they deserve. Says who? Since when do we as human beings decide who lives or dies? Last time I checked, the death penalty was over, and nobody can make that choice. I was disgusted when I saw that. We can’t change what has already happened. Sometimes that sucks because we really, reallywant to. God will take care of it. Faith. The sooner we realize that WE ARE ONE, the sooner the world can get better. Last post sighting that I’ll share. I saw one a few days ago that said, “What’s really sad is that overseas people of every race are DYING for our freedom, and we’re over here killing each other.” Think about that.
|
18987292-5548-58f0-a584-202cf9a2e4b2
|
25/08/2025 16:03:37
|
https://medium.com/sundaypuncher/golden-boy-promotions-lawsuit-again-alan-haymon-has-been-dismissed-8ea7445b82de
|
medium.com
|
Golden Boy Promotions’ Lawsuit again Alan Haymon Has been Dismissed
|
The ruling opens the door to greater expansion of the Premier Boxing Champions television boxing series
|
John Cudney
|
https://medium.com/@Tom_Cody_boxing
|
8ea7445b82de
|
1 min
|
2017-01-27T00:55:03.191000
|
2017-01-27T01:47:17.668000
|
2017-08-21T21:52:14.362000
| 0 | 2 |
en
|
Boxing,Sports,Golden Boy,Al Haymon,Premier Boxing Champions
|
<section>
<h1>Golden Boy Promotions’ Lawsuit again Alan Haymon Has been Dismissed</h1>
<h3>The ruling opens the door to greater expansion of the Premier Boxing Champions television boxing series</h3>
<p>On Thursday January 26, 2017 Judge John F. Walter, granted Al Haymon’s Motion for Summary Judgement, ending Oscar de la Hoya’s lawsuit against the PBC boxing television series.</p>
<p>“In this case, after conducting substantial discovery, Plaintiffs have been unable to present any evidence of harm to competition. Instead, Plaintiffs have merely presented evidence of harm to themselves.”</p>
<p>In essence, Golden Boy was only able to establish that Al Haymon is a competitor, but not an unlawful participant in the marketplace.</p>
<p>“It can’t be said often enough that the antitrust laws protect competition, not Competitors. Competition is essential to the effective operation of the free market because it encourages efficiency, promotes consumer satisfaction and prevents the accumulation of monopoly profits… But when a producer deters competitors by supplying a better product at a lower price, when he eschews monopoly profits, when he operates his business so as to meet consumer demand and increase consumer satisfaction, the goals of competition are served”</p>
<p>In the judge’s opinion, the PBC boxing television series has benefited consumers, offering them a product at low or no cost. He recognized that Golden Boy may have been impacted by this, but not to an extent that rises above normal market competition.</p>
</section>
|
Will Hart/HBO
Golden Boy Promotions’ Lawsuit again Alan Haymon Has been Dismissed
The ruling opens the door to greater expansion of the Premier Boxing Champions television boxing series
On Thursday January 26, 2017 Judge John F. Walter, granted Al Haymon’s Motion for Summary Judgement, ending Oscar de la Hoya’s lawsuit against the PBC boxing television series.
“In this case, after conducting substantial discovery, Plaintiffs have been unable to present any evidence of harm to competition. Instead, Plaintiffs have merely presented evidence of harm to themselves.”
In essence, Golden Boy was only able to establish that Al Haymon is a competitor, but not an unlawful participant in the marketplace.
“It can’t be said often enough that the antitrust laws protect competition, not Competitors. Competition is essential to the effective operation of the free market because it encourages efficiency, promotes consumer satisfaction and prevents the accumulation of monopoly profits… But when a producer deters competitors by supplying a better product at a lower price, when he eschews monopoly profits, when he operates his business so as to meet consumer demand and increase consumer satisfaction, the goals of competition are served”
In the judge’s opinion, the PBC boxing television series has benefited consumers, offering them a product at low or no cost. He recognized that Golden Boy may have been impacted by this, but not to an extent that rises above normal market competition.
|
c3f2904f-28f1-5e13-8912-4db0535b412f
|
25/08/2025 16:03:37
|
|
https://medium.com/@_stevechang/in-the-beginning-11ca2d92e46d
|
medium.com
|
In the Beginning…
|
Starting my journey in writing
|
Steve Chang
|
https://medium.com/@_stevechang
|
11ca2d92e46d
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*1nM9ErlJx__njltd
|
1 min
|
2024-03-22T17:37:21.255000
|
2024-03-22T18:07:38.516000
|
2024-11-29T22:21:01.259000
| 0 | 0 |
en
|
Personal Blog,Writing Life,New Beginnings,Writing Journey,Blog
|
<section>
<p>Starting my journey in writing</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/5200/0*1nM9ErlJx__njltd" width="5200" height="3744" loading="lazy" />
<p>Hello fellow reader. My name is Steve. Welcome to my first article.</p>
<p>What exactly is this article about? Very good question. To put it simply, it is the beginning.</p>
<p>I know you do not know me. I am no one. What could I, then, possibly have to write about and share with the world? Another good question. Again, simply put, my own thoughts, ideas, and personal whims.</p>
<p>I will be completely honest with you, dear reader, I am writing because it is an interest of mine. My goal with writing is not to become a famous writer with royalties pouring in to my bank account as if the great flood was upon me. I have only an interest in writing. I wish to write and amuse, if possible, my readers with my own imaginings.</p>
<p>So, what is the point of this article? What, pray tell, is the reason for creating this account on Medium? You truly are full of good questions, fellow reader. My sincere answer: to expand my own craft in writing and share it with the world.</p>
<p>We do not have to share the same interests. My writing is simply to write and entertain my readers with my musings at any given time. If this does in fact call to you and you wish to know more, please feel free to follow along in my writing journey.</p>
<p>If I am able to, in any way, provide some form of valuable content for you, I will be filled with joy and satisfaction for my work on this platform. If perhaps you would like to discuss my findings and thoughts, or would like for an elaboration on any of my works, please feel free to let me know as well.</p>
<p>All I ask is for a space to publish my writings and provide some value to you, dear reader. With all that being said and done, I depart and leave this article to you.</p>
</section>
|
In the Beginning…
Starting my journey in writing
Photo by Phil on Unsplash
Hello fellow reader. My name is Steve. Welcome to my first article.
What exactly is this article about? Very good question. To put it simply, it is the beginning.
I know you do not know me. I am no one. What could I, then, possibly have to write about and share with the world? Another good question. Again, simply put, my own thoughts, ideas, and personal whims.
I will be completely honest with you, dear reader, I am writing because it is an interest of mine. My goal with writing is not to become a famous writer with royalties pouring in to my bank account as if the great flood was upon me. I have only an interest in writing. I wish to write and amuse, if possible, my readers with my own imaginings.
So, what is the point of this article? What, pray tell, is the reason for creating this account on Medium? You truly are full of good questions, fellow reader. My sincere answer: to expand my own craft in writing and share it with the world.
We do not have to share the same interests. My writing is simply to write and entertain my readers with my musings at any given time. If this does in fact call to you and you wish to know more, please feel free to follow along in my writing journey.
If I am able to, in any way, provide some form of valuable content for you, I will be filled with joy and satisfaction for my work on this platform. If perhaps you would like to discuss my findings and thoughts, or would like for an elaboration on any of my works, please feel free to let me know as well.
All I ask is for a space to publish my writings and provide some value to you, dear reader. With all that being said and done, I depart and leave this article to you.
|
72f4c77c-2d66-521a-93ab-fa8d8611b8ea
|
25/08/2025 16:03:39
|
https://codesensei.medium.com/how-to-make-a-10x-resume-for-a-software-engineering-role-223ebae044f7
|
medium.com
|
How to make a 10x resume for a software engineering role
|
Over the last 10 years, I have coached and worked directly with over 1,000 students, whom I have taught directly or indirectly through…
|
Michael Choi
|
https://medium.com/@codesensei
|
223ebae044f7
|
https://miro.medium.com/max/2000/0*pngFqpbnPAN-qzF-
|
11 min
|
2020-11-24T12:12:04.920000
|
2021-01-05T16:16:52.980000
|
2021-12-26T07:38:15.545000
| 1 | 144 |
en
|
Resume Writing Tips,Resume Writing
|
<section>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/4976/0*pngFqpbnPAN-qzF-" width="4976" height="3223" loading="lazy" />
<p>Over the last 10 years, I have coached and worked directly with over 1,000 students, whom I have taught directly or indirectly through Coding Dojo. Coding Dojo now has a great team of career advisors who help with students and their resume preparation, but I wanted to take some time to reflect on what lessons I’ve learned as I’ve helped my own students find jobs.</p>
<h1>Why you need a 10x resume</h1>
<p>You may already be familiar with a 10x concept where in the software space, great developers are known to be 10 times more efficient/productive than an average developer. A resume is similar. A mediocre resume may get you 1–3 interview requests a week. A 10x resume would get you 1–3 interview requests a day.</p>
<p>Imagine what your life would look like if you were to get 1–3 interview requests a day! You would have a lot more options to choose from, not be so worried about whether you will find a new job soon, and be more confident as you go through each interview (as you know, if you don’t do well on this interview, you can always do better on the next interviews).</p>
<p>Now, how do you make a 10x resume? The answers are surprisingly simple.</p>
<h2>Tip #1 — it’s all about the keywords</h2>
<p>Put yourself as a hiring manager who has to screen through hundreds of resumes in an hour. You already learned that almost everyone who’s applying for your role knows certain technologies such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Even someone who took a few hours of tutorials on any of the free sites would also put this list of technologies in the resume.</p>
<p>So imagine that as you sort through hundreds of resume (and imagine that you only have 60 minutes to sort through 500 resumes), most of the resumes you see list technologies such as this:</p>
<ul>
<li>Technologies: HTML, CSS, Javascript</li>
</ul>
<p>Now, imagine that you now see a resume that has this:</p>
<ul>
<li>Technologies: HTML, HAML, CSS, LESS, SASS, Bootstrap, Foundation, Responsive Design, Javascript ES5/ES6, Jasmine, Typescript, CoffeeScript, React</li>
</ul>
<p>Which one do you think your eyes will gravitate toward? Even if someone who had just put down HTML, CSS, Javascript may really be a better developer, the fact that someone listed a lot more keywords automatically gives the latter a far more advantage. Even if HAML, LESS, SASS, Bootstrap, Foundation, Jasmine, TypeScript, CoffeeScript could be learned in an hour or less (per technology), the fact that someone knew about these and took the time to learn these, puts them at an advantage.</p>
<p>Similarly, take a look at these two examples. The first one is a bad example of what your resume shouldn’t look like. The bottom one is a better example.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1600/1*-k_eAl_ZT-7oaOZwCoA4gQ.png" width="1600" height="532" loading="lazy" />
<p>Now, let me take this a step further and explain what myself and other hiring managers probably won’t share so openly about. I will intentionally make this blunt so that the points are clear.</p>
<p>If the resume has less than 10–20 relevant keywords (relevant, meaning relevant to the job that you’ve applied for), then you’re a rookie. I will probably not look at your resume. 80–90% of resumes I receive fall into this category.</p>
<p>If the resume has 20–35 relevant keywords, I may look at your resume a bit more, but I would still consider you a rookie.</p>
<p>If the resume has 35–50+ relevant keywords, I would then think you <em>may</em> be a great fit and that you <em>may</em> be experienced enough. I would still need to qualify you to see if you really know the technologies you’ve claimed, but you’re off to a good start.</p>
<p>Now, don’t fall into the trap where you listed so many technologies that only 20–30% of technologies in your resume are relevant to the specific job you’re applying for. These resume are thrown away as they seem irrelevant to the role, and I would think you didn’t even take the time to customize your resume for the job you’ve applied for. I would expect you to customize your resume to fit with my needs and that you didn’t do this, means that you’re not really interested in the job.</p>
<p>Now, the relevant keywords doesn’t have to show up just in the skill set section or the technologies section. In fact, it’s better to see these relevant keywords appear through the resume. For example, do these keywords appear under work experiences or under projects? As a hiring manager, I like to see relevant keywords appear throughout the resume and ideally not just in a job you had 10 years ago. If the relevant keywords are not in the most recent work experiences, I would like to see them in the projects section to really see if you know how to use these tools.</p>
<p>Also, the relevant keywords mean keywords that are relevant to the hiring manager and not relevant keywords to you. There is a subtle difference. For example, if the hiring manager is reviewing for the Java back-end role, for them, they won’t really care that you know 3–4 other programming languages and know 5 other frameworks that are not related to Java. An easy way to identify relevant keywords for the hiring manager is to review their job ad and see which keywords they’ve used. Then, make sure these keywords appear in your resume (or a version of your resume you’ve created for the specific job that you’ve applied for). If you don’t have the exact keywords they are looking for, include other keywords that are related.</p>
<h2>Tip #2 — Make your resume dense</h2>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1600/1*65NI2oyKHsPRPsBK2tD7_g.png" width="1600" height="1009" loading="lazy" />
<p>Most inexperienced developers have a resume that looks like the left. Most experienced developers have a hard time putting all their key accomplishments into a single page resume and therefore their resume tends to look like the right.</p>
<p>Looking at hundreds of resume (every hour), you get to build a bias that any resume that looks like the left is a bad resume, where the candidate is just not experienced enough, did not take the time to learn new skills, or did not take the time to really polish their resume to include projects, etc. Any resume that looks like the right, the hiring managers will pay more attention to.</p>
<p>Remember that hiring managers usually take no more than 5–10 seconds to review the resume. This means, how your resume visually looks and how dense it looks is CRITICAL.</p>
<p>Even if you’re new, take the time to learn new technologies, build projects that are relevant, and take time to add more content into your resume (more about this coming up next).</p>
<h2>Tip #3 — Include accomplishments, not job descriptions</h2>
<p>Please look at these two examples:</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1600/1*pvi1XO8kiKIqKyWSzekSzA.png" width="1600" height="795" loading="lazy" />
<p>For each of the bullet point you listed under Work Experience or Education, ask yourself whether someone with the same title at the same company can say the same thing as you did. For example, can the worst developer in the entire history of the company still say the same thing that you’ve stated in your first bullet point under that work experience? If the answer is a Yes, change that bullet point immediately!</p>
<p>Highlight the accomplishments you’ve made while still highlighting relevant keywords. Hiring managers are looking for A players. Try to come up with accomplishment statements that highlight you as an A player. If you can’t honestly say something that highlights you as an A player, on your next job, try hard to accomplish something significant that could give you an advantage the next time you’re applying for the job. Never settle to be mediocre in your job and remember that A players usually continue accomplishing great things in whatever role they are in and that hiring managers are looking for this track record.</p>
<h2>Tip #4 — Projects should be impressive</h2>
<p>As a hiring manager, I usually scan the resume for 5–10 seconds and determine whether this resume deserves a click from me. If it passes my test, I click on one of the links (either the portfolio link or the first project link). If the resume had a lot of mistakes such as what was mentioned above, I usually don’t even click on any of the links.</p>
<p>So imagine that your resume was among the 500 resumes that I was reviewing in the last 60 minutes, and your resume passed my 5–10 seconds test! Imagine that your resume had relevant keywords, was dense, and had accomplishment statements! Your resume was better than 90% of the resumes that I have just screened so I am excited and I click on one of your project links.</p>
<p>Now, imagine my surprise when I clicked on the link, what I saw was something either I or someone in my team could probably replicate in a few hours! As I would have automatically assumed that no one in the right mind would ever put a project that they worked less than a week on, I would automatically assume you’ve probably spent a full week and only could create something that would take me a few hours…. This would automatically tell me that you’re not experienced enough and I would be happy that I was able to filter your resume out. If I didn’t, myself and the team would have spent hours un-necessarily only to find out that you’re not experienced enough.</p>
<p>Now, I know you may have been learning a new technology and to you, the project may seem good, but remember that hiring managers who are reviewing your projects are experienced developers who use these technologies every day! If your project does not seem to have enough features or complexities to warrant at least one week of their time, your project is simply not good enough! This may sound harsh but it’s really how a lot of hiring managers operate…</p>
<p>Now, some additional tips:</p>
<p>Don’t only put the Github link to your projects. In the initial screening, hiring managers don’t have time to review your codebase. Instead, send them to a live site or to your portfolio site where in 10–15 seconds, hiring managers can easily see key features for your projects.</p>
<p>Don’t use Heroku. Heroku is for amateurs and hiring managers don’t want to hire amateurs (unless they have to).</p>
<p>Don’t send them to a site that requires login/registration. Hiring managers don’t have the time to do these misc. tasks.</p>
<p>If you have more than 5 years of work experience as a developer, hiring managers may forgive you for putting links to your projects, especially if you’ve worked for big companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. Still, it’s better to have strong relevant projects that hiring managers can quickly see and assess than having no projects or no links to the projects.</p>
<p>If you have less than 5 years of work experience as a developer, make sure you have at least 2–3 strong projects. Depending on the area you live in, you may get enough interest with just 2 strong projects (where each project, it would take another experienced developer at least a week to replicate). If you live in Silicon Valley or another tech hub with lots of competitions, put 3 strong projects. My students who put 3 projects in their resume have repoted that they are getting 50–100% more phone calls than when they have applied with just 2 projects in their resume.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1600/1*4A-6bUVDoGB8Jrx15Rb7SQ.png" width="1600" height="366" loading="lazy" />
<h2>Tip #5 — Personalize the resume</h2>
<p>If you really like the company you’re applying for, personalize the resume to include relevant projects or message customized for that company in your resume.</p>
<p>If your resume followed all the tips above AND your resume has something specific to the company you’ve applied for, hiring managers would react excitedly. They all want candidates who are excited to work with them.</p>
<p>Of course, doing this for each job you’re applying for, could be difficult and time-consuming. However, the more customized your resume becomes (for each job you’re applying for), the higher chance you’ll have of getting noticed.</p>
<p>For example, for each of the job you’re applying for, consider the following questions:</p>
<p>Which of my projects would be relevant for this role? What key things could I highlight in these projects that would be appealing to the hiring managers at this company?</p>
<p>Which accomplishments in what work experiences would be relevant that I should elaborate more on? What are work experiences or accomplishments that I could hide/remove to make it more targeted/personalized for this specific role I am applying for?</p>
<p>Any particular reasons why I am interested in this company? How could I convey this interest and passion through either the resume or in the cover letter, so that my resume gets noticed more than other generic resumes that hiring managers are reviewing?</p>
<p>90%+ of resumes hiring managers review are generic resumes and cover letters that candidates are using over and over again to apply to all the jobs. Less than 10% of resumes or job applications have customized/personalized for that particular job application and the company. Even if your resume is a bit weaker than other resumes, if you showed your passion/interest for that company by adding something specific to why you’re interested in the company, your resume has a significantly higher chance of getting reviewed more thoroughly.</p>
<h2>Other Tips</h2>
<p>Don’t use 2 column resume. A lot of companies use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter out resumes automatically. Resume with 2 columns are often not parsed appropriately by ATS and may not even show up in the list of filtered resumes for the hiring managers to see. Even if it passes the filter by the ATS, when it’s reviewed by the hiring manager, the filtered version may look radically different than your original resume.</p>
<p>If your projects are not complex enough, strongly consider investing time to build a stronger project. A resume with weak projects is simply not powerful enough and you won’t get a lot of interests. Sometimes it’s much better to spend 2–3 weeks producing 2–3 strong projects and strengthen your resume before applying aggressively again.</p>
<h2>Score Guide</h2>
<p>If you want a more detailed guide on how your resume would score (on a scale of 0–10), take a look at this score guideline I’ve created for my students. Going through each item will give you a good idea on how I would rate your resume.</p>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1803/1*BmKwsKgOrh-i1vaW1b0Gvg.png" width="1803" height="2327" loading="lazy" />
<p>Based on tens of thousands of resumes I’ve reviewed, of which applicants were applying for the engineering roles in my company, 90%+ of resumes gets thrown away because it receives a low score (low score for me is any score below 6). Only about 5–10% of resumes would receive a score of 8 or above. Unfortunately, too many resumes receive a score of 3 or less (even if they have years of experience), but also on the same token, it does make it easier for the hiring managers as most of the bad resumes can be spotted in seconds and can be thrown away without the hiring managers feeling guilty (as they can claim valid reasons for throwing away those resumes).</p>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<p>These tips may seem simple, but they do have a profound effect. I have coached countless students who went from having 0–1 interview a week to then so many interview requests each day that they were so happy and excited! Many of these students have found jobs within weeks (after their resume was revised); some found awesome jobs within even just a few days!</p>
<p>If you’re struggling with getting enough interview requests, please take these tips seriously and apply them. You’ll be surprised at the number of sudden interest you would get, even if you have no prior work experiences that are relevant for the new role you’re applying for.</p>
</section>
|
How to make a 10x resume for a software engineering role
Photo by Bram Naus on Unsplash
Over the last 10 years, I have coached and worked directly with over 1,000 students, whom I have taught directly or indirectly through Coding Dojo. Coding Dojo now has a great team of career advisors who help with students and their resume preparation, but I wanted to take some time to reflect on what lessons I’ve learned as I’ve helped my own students find jobs.
Why you need a 10x resume
You may already be familiar with a 10x concept where in the software space, great developers are known to be 10 times more efficient/productive than an average developer. A resume is similar. A mediocre resume may get you 1–3 interview requests a week. A 10x resume would get you 1–3 interview requests a day.
Imagine what your life would look like if you were to get 1–3 interview requests a day! You would have a lot more options to choose from, not be so worried about whether you will find a new job soon, and be more confident as you go through each interview (as you know, if you don’t do well on this interview, you can always do better on the next interviews).
Now, how do you make a 10x resume? The answers are surprisingly simple.
Tip #1 — it’s all about the keywords
Put yourself as a hiring manager who has to screen through hundreds of resumes in an hour. You already learned that almost everyone who’s applying for your role knows certain technologies such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Even someone who took a few hours of tutorials on any of the free sites would also put this list of technologies in the resume.
So imagine that as you sort through hundreds of resume (and imagine that you only have 60 minutes to sort through 500 resumes), most of the resumes you see list technologies such as this:
Technologies: HTML, CSS, Javascript
Now, imagine that you now see a resume that has this:
Technologies: HTML, HAML, CSS, LESS, SASS, Bootstrap, Foundation, Responsive Design, Javascript ES5/ES6, Jasmine, Typescript, CoffeeScript, React
Which one do you think your eyes will gravitate toward? Even if someone who had just put down HTML, CSS, Javascript may really be a better developer, the fact that someone listed a lot more keywords automatically gives the latter a far more advantage. Even if HAML, LESS, SASS, Bootstrap, Foundation, Jasmine, TypeScript, CoffeeScript could be learned in an hour or less (per technology), the fact that someone knew about these and took the time to learn these, puts them at an advantage.
Similarly, take a look at these two examples. The first one is a bad example of what your resume shouldn’t look like. The bottom one is a better example.
Now, let me take this a step further and explain what myself and other hiring managers probably won’t share so openly about. I will intentionally make this blunt so that the points are clear.
If the resume has less than 10–20 relevant keywords (relevant, meaning relevant to the job that you’ve applied for), then you’re a rookie. I will probably not look at your resume. 80–90% of resumes I receive fall into this category.
If the resume has 20–35 relevant keywords, I may look at your resume a bit more, but I would still consider you a rookie.
If the resume has 35–50+ relevant keywords, I would then think you may be a great fit and that you may be experienced enough. I would still need to qualify you to see if you really know the technologies you’ve claimed, but you’re off to a good start.
Now, don’t fall into the trap where you listed so many technologies that only 20–30% of technologies in your resume are relevant to the specific job you’re applying for. These resume are thrown away as they seem irrelevant to the role, and I would think you didn’t even take the time to customize your resume for the job you’ve applied for. I would expect you to customize your resume to fit with my needs and that you didn’t do this, means that you’re not really interested in the job.
Now, the relevant keywords doesn’t have to show up just in the skill set section or the technologies section. In fact, it’s better to see these relevant keywords appear through the resume. For example, do these keywords appear under work experiences or under projects? As a hiring manager, I like to see relevant keywords appear throughout the resume and ideally not just in a job you had 10 years ago. If the relevant keywords are not in the most recent work experiences, I would like to see them in the projects section to really see if you know how to use these tools.
Also, the relevant keywords mean keywords that are relevant to the hiring manager and not relevant keywords to you. There is a subtle difference. For example, if the hiring manager is reviewing for the Java back-end role, for them, they won’t really care that you know 3–4 other programming languages and know 5 other frameworks that are not related to Java. An easy way to identify relevant keywords for the hiring manager is to review their job ad and see which keywords they’ve used. Then, make sure these keywords appear in your resume (or a version of your resume you’ve created for the specific job that you’ve applied for). If you don’t have the exact keywords they are looking for, include other keywords that are related.
Tip #2 — Make your resume dense
Most inexperienced developers have a resume that looks like the left. Most experienced developers have a hard time putting all their key accomplishments into a single page resume and therefore their resume tends to look like the right.
Looking at hundreds of resume (every hour), you get to build a bias that any resume that looks like the left is a bad resume, where the candidate is just not experienced enough, did not take the time to learn new skills, or did not take the time to really polish their resume to include projects, etc. Any resume that looks like the right, the hiring managers will pay more attention to.
Remember that hiring managers usually take no more than 5–10 seconds to review the resume. This means, how your resume visually looks and how dense it looks is CRITICAL.
Even if you’re new, take the time to learn new technologies, build projects that are relevant, and take time to add more content into your resume (more about this coming up next).
Tip #3 — Include accomplishments, not job descriptions
Please look at these two examples:
For each of the bullet point you listed under Work Experience or Education, ask yourself whether someone with the same title at the same company can say the same thing as you did. For example, can the worst developer in the entire history of the company still say the same thing that you’ve stated in your first bullet point under that work experience? If the answer is a Yes, change that bullet point immediately!
Highlight the accomplishments you’ve made while still highlighting relevant keywords. Hiring managers are looking for A players. Try to come up with accomplishment statements that highlight you as an A player. If you can’t honestly say something that highlights you as an A player, on your next job, try hard to accomplish something significant that could give you an advantage the next time you’re applying for the job. Never settle to be mediocre in your job and remember that A players usually continue accomplishing great things in whatever role they are in and that hiring managers are looking for this track record.
Tip #4 — Projects should be impressive
As a hiring manager, I usually scan the resume for 5–10 seconds and determine whether this resume deserves a click from me. If it passes my test, I click on one of the links (either the portfolio link or the first project link). If the resume had a lot of mistakes such as what was mentioned above, I usually don’t even click on any of the links.
So imagine that your resume was among the 500 resumes that I was reviewing in the last 60 minutes, and your resume passed my 5–10 seconds test! Imagine that your resume had relevant keywords, was dense, and had accomplishment statements! Your resume was better than 90% of the resumes that I have just screened so I am excited and I click on one of your project links.
Now, imagine my surprise when I clicked on the link, what I saw was something either I or someone in my team could probably replicate in a few hours! As I would have automatically assumed that no one in the right mind would ever put a project that they worked less than a week on, I would automatically assume you’ve probably spent a full week and only could create something that would take me a few hours…. This would automatically tell me that you’re not experienced enough and I would be happy that I was able to filter your resume out. If I didn’t, myself and the team would have spent hours un-necessarily only to find out that you’re not experienced enough.
Now, I know you may have been learning a new technology and to you, the project may seem good, but remember that hiring managers who are reviewing your projects are experienced developers who use these technologies every day! If your project does not seem to have enough features or complexities to warrant at least one week of their time, your project is simply not good enough! This may sound harsh but it’s really how a lot of hiring managers operate…
Now, some additional tips:
Don’t only put the Github link to your projects. In the initial screening, hiring managers don’t have time to review your codebase. Instead, send them to a live site or to your portfolio site where in 10–15 seconds, hiring managers can easily see key features for your projects.
Don’t use Heroku. Heroku is for amateurs and hiring managers don’t want to hire amateurs (unless they have to).
Don’t send them to a site that requires login/registration. Hiring managers don’t have the time to do these misc. tasks.
If you have more than 5 years of work experience as a developer, hiring managers may forgive you for putting links to your projects, especially if you’ve worked for big companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. Still, it’s better to have strong relevant projects that hiring managers can quickly see and assess than having no projects or no links to the projects.
If you have less than 5 years of work experience as a developer, make sure you have at least 2–3 strong projects. Depending on the area you live in, you may get enough interest with just 2 strong projects (where each project, it would take another experienced developer at least a week to replicate). If you live in Silicon Valley or another tech hub with lots of competitions, put 3 strong projects. My students who put 3 projects in their resume have repoted that they are getting 50–100% more phone calls than when they have applied with just 2 projects in their resume.
Tip #5 — Personalize the resume
If you really like the company you’re applying for, personalize the resume to include relevant projects or message customized for that company in your resume.
If your resume followed all the tips above AND your resume has something specific to the company you’ve applied for, hiring managers would react excitedly. They all want candidates who are excited to work with them.
Of course, doing this for each job you’re applying for, could be difficult and time-consuming. However, the more customized your resume becomes (for each job you’re applying for), the higher chance you’ll have of getting noticed.
For example, for each of the job you’re applying for, consider the following questions:
Which of my projects would be relevant for this role? What key things could I highlight in these projects that would be appealing to the hiring managers at this company?
Which accomplishments in what work experiences would be relevant that I should elaborate more on? What are work experiences or accomplishments that I could hide/remove to make it more targeted/personalized for this specific role I am applying for?
Any particular reasons why I am interested in this company? How could I convey this interest and passion through either the resume or in the cover letter, so that my resume gets noticed more than other generic resumes that hiring managers are reviewing?
90%+ of resumes hiring managers review are generic resumes and cover letters that candidates are using over and over again to apply to all the jobs. Less than 10% of resumes or job applications have customized/personalized for that particular job application and the company. Even if your resume is a bit weaker than other resumes, if you showed your passion/interest for that company by adding something specific to why you’re interested in the company, your resume has a significantly higher chance of getting reviewed more thoroughly.
Other Tips
Don’t use 2 column resume. A lot of companies use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter out resumes automatically. Resume with 2 columns are often not parsed appropriately by ATS and may not even show up in the list of filtered resumes for the hiring managers to see. Even if it passes the filter by the ATS, when it’s reviewed by the hiring manager, the filtered version may look radically different than your original resume.
If your projects are not complex enough, strongly consider investing time to build a stronger project. A resume with weak projects is simply not powerful enough and you won’t get a lot of interests. Sometimes it’s much better to spend 2–3 weeks producing 2–3 strong projects and strengthen your resume before applying aggressively again.
Score Guide
If you want a more detailed guide on how your resume would score (on a scale of 0–10), take a look at this score guideline I’ve created for my students. Going through each item will give you a good idea on how I would rate your resume.
Based on tens of thousands of resumes I’ve reviewed, of which applicants were applying for the engineering roles in my company, 90%+ of resumes gets thrown away because it receives a low score (low score for me is any score below 6). Only about 5–10% of resumes would receive a score of 8 or above. Unfortunately, too many resumes receive a score of 3 or less (even if they have years of experience), but also on the same token, it does make it easier for the hiring managers as most of the bad resumes can be spotted in seconds and can be thrown away without the hiring managers feeling guilty (as they can claim valid reasons for throwing away those resumes).
Summary
These tips may seem simple, but they do have a profound effect. I have coached countless students who went from having 0–1 interview a week to then so many interview requests each day that they were so happy and excited! Many of these students have found jobs within weeks (after their resume was revised); some found awesome jobs within even just a few days!
If you’re struggling with getting enough interview requests, please take these tips seriously and apply them. You’ll be surprised at the number of sudden interest you would get, even if you have no prior work experiences that are relevant for the new role you’re applying for.
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25/08/2025 16:03:39
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